2012:368 - Marsh’s Street, Thomastown, Kilkenny

Monitoring was undertaken of Site Investigation Works (SIW) along the proposed Water Mains Rehabilitation Work (Stage 3) as part of the County Kilkenny Conservation and Network Management Project. The SIW were located at Thomastown, on its western outskirts and along Marsh’s Street and extended for length of c. 2km.
The purpose of the SIW was to determine the location of the existing mains, their state of repair, presence of other services and existing ground conditions. The SIW entailed the excavation of trial pits along the proposed pipeline routes and at junctions where the proposed pipeline connects into the existing network.
The works were undertaken in two phases. During Phase 1 a total of 39 trial pits were excavated. These pits were located on Station Road, which is on the western outskirts of the town, set back from the archaeological zone for Thomastown. No archaeology was identified in any of the pits, though a concentration of larger boulders and stones was seen within two pits. It appeared that these stones represented a deliberate deposit most likely for the purpose of raising the level of road. This appeared probable as the fields on both sides of the carriageway were low lying and waterlogged on the south-eastern side due to the proximity of the river.
The only other activity within the test pits from Phase 1 was in the form of the current water pipeline as well as other services such as sewerage and broadband. The water and sewerage pipes could be detected in most of the test pits along Station Road and Marsh's Street.
Phase 2 openings commenced to the south-west of the medieval town wall and terminated at the Marsh’s Street/Market Street junction. Although it was evident modern ground intrusions, in the form of services, had disturbed the underlying layers, four archaeological features were discovered during the monitoring of this phase of the SIW. Due to their dimensions and construction it was considered that two of the features had a similar provenance and date to the Victorian era with the initial road surface laid after the opening up of the western town wall probably to facilitate vehicular access to the new railway station further to the west. The other two features, however, pertained to an earlier surface, which was considered to date to the post-medieval period. The only other activity within the opened pits consisted of modern services, particularly water pipes.

Mary Henry Archaeological Services Ltd, 17 Staunton Row, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary