2013:486 - Thompson’s Lane, Dungarvan, Waterford

Groundworks to a vacant lot off Thompson’s Lane, immediately west of Dungarvan castle, were monitored. The works were preparatory to the creation of a car park on the site by Waterford County Council, and involved grading the existing ground surface to achieve a slope, installing electrical cables around the perimeter, and excavating foundation pits for lamp standards.

The existing ground surface was graded by mechanical digger. Surface material was removed to a maximum depth of 0.25m. In the south-eastern quadrant of the site a layer of large cobblestones survived intermittently. Below the cobbles was a rubble fill containing brick, mortar, sherds of modern glass and modern pottery. This rubble fill was also found over much of the remainder of the site, but towards the north and west most of the material removed was modern build up of stone, tarmacadam and concrete.

Foundation pits for three lamp standards were dug, also by mechanical digger. Two were dug along the northern perimeter of the site and one approximately midway along the southern wall. Pit A was 1.6m x 1.2m and 0.6m deep. Its fill consisted entirely of stone and brick rubble. Pit B, 4m to the east, was 0.4 x 0.6 x 1m deep. It contained two fills: a) loose stone to a depth of 0.5m, and b) a 0.3m deep layer of silty clay with fragments of mortar and charcoal. Below that was the natural clay. Pit C, at the southern edge of the site, was 0.6m x 0.6m x 1m deep. Its fill consisted entirely of rubble including brick, slate and stone. Undisturbed natural clay was not encountered.

Ballynanelagh, Rathcormac, Co. Cork.