2013:143 - Sligo, Sligo

Enhancement works in streets in the centre of Sligo town were monitored in phases from 2011 to 2013, under licences 11E0262 and 13E300.

The works at the west end of Castle Street (Abbeyquarter South, 169194 335829)involved laying two new major water mains under the road and laying some brick paving. That part of the work revealed nothing of archaeological significance.

The enhancement works in Grattan Street (Magheraboy, 169194 335829) involved laying two new water mains, new ducting under the footpath on the south side of the street and the laying of brick paving. This was a continuation of enhancement works along the eastern third of this side of the street that took place in 2012?; in that work one 2m diameter stone-lined pit with shells, mainly oyster, was found.

Trenching for the water mains the length of the street was through ground already disturbed with services as well as connections to a substantial stone sewage culvert running near the centre of the street. Nothing of archaeological significance was found.

The enhancement works were not deep but the edges of two deposits of oyster shells, 2m wide and 1.5m wide respectivly, were exposed. If the pits are circular then they continue under the existing buildings. One round stone, of a type different to all others in this ground, with a piece chipped off it, that may have been a pounding stone, was found near one of the deposits.

From mid-way along the street the new ducts were put where the old kerb was and the new kerb was put where there was a deep strip of concrete. This reduced considerably the chances of archaeological discovery.

Grattan Street takes a slight change of line mid-way, most obvious on this southern side, possibly reflecting a former historical extent of the medieval town. The digging under the pavement was not deep enough at 0.4m to confirm an enclosing feature here, but as there were no shells from mid-way westwards it may be a reflection of being outside of the medieval core of Sligo.

As part of the enhancement works of Grattan Street on the north side of the street (Knappagh Beg,  169194 335829), the pavement on the north side was replaced after new ducts were put where the old kerb was and the new kerb was put where there was a deep strip of concrete. This reduced the chances of archaeological discovery considerably. The feeling was that this ground was different to that on the south side, possibly due to what was being dug. The subtle change of line mid-way along this street, recognisable on the south side, is barely obvious on this north side.

Unlike the south side there were no archaeological deposits on this north side.

The enhancement works along the north side of the Market Cross Area (Knappagh Beg, 169194 335829), north of the Lady Erin 1798 statue (erected 1898) close to where Sligo’s medieval Market Cross once stood (Henry 1739, §§79-79; Timoney 2013 148), the presumed focal area of medieval Sligo, involved the replacement of the concrete paving with one of brick. The ducting, which was no more than 0.3m deep, took place in early 2013 without adding to our archaeological knowledge