County: Kilkenny Site name: Thomastown
Sites and Monuments Record No.: KK028-040 Licence number: E4423
Author: Tim Coughlan
Site type: Structural wall remains
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 658423m, N 641957m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.525840, -7.139030
Monitoring was undertaken of ground works associated with the Kilkenny Water Conservation Plan (WCP): Phase 3 Mains Rehabilitation in Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny. The work was carried out under Ministerial Consent C529 and in response to recommendations given in a monitoring report undertaken during Phase 2 of the project.
Monitoring was also carried out in Ullid and Tibberaghny townlands as part of this phase of works under licence ref. 14E040. These results are reported separately.
Monitoring was undertaken between 9 and 14 April 2014. An additional inspection of ground disturbances associated with the project undertaken at Mill Street on the south of the town was carried out on 3 April 2014. The work was undertaken by Tim Coughlan and Brenda O’Meara of IAC Ltd in the townland of Thomastown.
The main pipeline along the south side of Marsh’s Street was laid by a process of pipe-bursting where the new pipe was drilled through a pre-existing service pipe/duct located beneath the existing road carriageway. This process ensured that there was no impact on previously undisturbed ground other than occasional pits, generally located within the earlier service trench. Nothing of archaeological significance was identified during the pipe-bursting process.
The main monitoring works were focused on a series of “links” to the main pipeline that traversed Marsh’s Street to provide supply to buildings on the north side of the street. These trenches were generally 0.6m below ground level. A large number of existing services were encountered beneath the present road surface. Nothing of archaeological significance was identified during works related to the main pipeline links.
At the western end of Marsh’s Street the footing of a stone wall foundation was recorded at the southern edge of a widened trench at a link along the main pipeline. The alignment of the foundation wall corresponded to the alignment of the original street frontage. The wall was preserved in situ, and, apart from being partially exposed at the edge of the works trench, was not impacted upon. Nothing else of archaeological significance was identified during the monitoring works. Pipelaying was terminated east of the town wall at the west end of the street. The town wall was not impacted upon.
IAC Ltd, Unit G1, Network Enterprise Park, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow
