County: Limerick Site name: SARSFIELD STREET, KILMALLOCK
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: LI047–022 09E0131
Author: Bruce Sutton, ÆGIS Archaeology Ltd, 32 Nicholas Street, King’s Island, Limerick.
Site type: Urban, medieval/post-medieval
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 560798m, N 627810m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.400411, -8.576056
Test-trenching was carried out as part of a pre-planning assessment for an extension to the SuperValu supermarket. At the time of the investigation, the site comprised two three-storey buildings, which incorporated medieval fabric, fronting on to Sarsfield Street, Kilmallock, with a rectangular garden plot to the rear. The site lay within the zone of archaeological potential for the historic town of Kilmallock, with the medieval town wall forming the southern boundary of the site and a protected structure (No. 11) locally known as ^The Mint’ forming part of the northern boundary. A total of six test-trenches were excavated across the site, with a buffer zone restricting work within 15m of the town wall; this buffer zone was agreed by Limerick County Council and the client.
All trenches were excavated to the top of archaeological deposits, with possible archaeological remains, dating possibly from the medieval through to the post-medieval period, uncovered in all of the trenches. Within the trenches located closest to the extant buildings were the remains of a wall and cobbled surface, which may be the remains of the buildings depicted on the second-edition OS map. These had been truncated by modern sewer pipes. Within the trenches furthest away from the extant remains were the remains of several walls which may be medieval in date. A large cut feature may also have been medieval in date. It had cut into the natural parent material. However, due to the waterlogged nature of this area and narrow trenches, no meaningful interpretation of any of the features could be made.
A seventh proposed trench was not excavated.
