2013:281 - Abbeyleix, Durrow, Mountrath, Rathdowney, Stradbally, Laois

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Laois Site name: Abbeyleix, Durrow, Mountrath, Rathdowney, Stradbally

Sites and Monuments Record No.: n/a Licence number: 13E0276

Author: Tim Coughlan

Site type: Pit

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 643409m, N 685272m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.916520, -7.354550

Monitoring was carried out at Abbeyleix, Durrow, Mountrath, Rathdowney and Stradbally, Co. Laois during groundworks for the Laois Towns and Villages Wastewater Improvement Scheme. Monitoring followed on from recommendations made within a desktop assessment for the scheme, which was carried out in 2007 (Doherty) and testing, which was carried out at several locations in 2008 (Johnston 2008a-b, Shine 2008a-c).

Monitoring of ground disturbance associated with the construction of waste water treatment works, and some sections of pipeline, was undertaken intermittently between July and October 2013, according to the contractors' programme. The work was undertaken by Mark Moraghan and Brenda O’Mara of IAC Ltd and supervised by Tim Coughlan.

No features of archaeological potential were uncovered at any of the areas of development, with the exception of a pit, which was identified close to an existing road in Tullyroe, Abbeyleix (643409, 685272 ITM). The pit, of unknown date or function, was found in an area that had been, according to the landowner, subject to relatively modern disturbances.

IAC Ltd, Unit G1, Network Enterprise Park, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow