County: Antrim Site name: BISHOP’S PALACE, IRISHTOWN, KILKENNY
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 06E189 ext.
Author: Bernice Molloy, Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd, 27 Merrion Square, Dublin 2.
Site type: Late/post-medieval
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 650239m, N 656543m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.657748, -7.257405
Monitoring was undertaken in the former Bishop’s Palace located in Irishtown, Kilkenny, with regard to the widening of the entrance known as Troy’s Gate and the construction of new walls and piers to facilitate sliding gates. The development also allowed for the provision of ten additional car-parking spaces, new bicycle parking and an external refuse/recycling area immediately to the east of the glass extension to the former Bishop’s Palace.
A wall had been identified at Troy’s Gate (O’Meara 2006) during a previous phase of monitoring and during the course of works this wall was re-exposed and retained in situ. Monitoring was also undertaken at the Troy’s Gate entrance into the See House and no features or finds of archaeological significance were noted in this trench, but the area seemed considerably disturbed as noted by the presence of modern debris. Further south, monitoring undertaken immediately east of the pavilion adjoining the former Bishop’s Palace identified a portion of building probably associated with the kitchens of the palace evident on the first-and second-edition OS maps (1841 and 1872, respectively). The fragmented remains of a wall and a floor surface were identified to the south-east which are probably associated with the outbuildings depicted on the latter maps.
Reference
O’Meara, B. 2006 Additional archaeological excavations October 2006 at the former Bishop’s Palace, Kilkenny city. Licence 06E189 ext. Unpublished report on behalf of Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd for the Heritage Council.
