2014:171 - Mountrath, Stradbally, Clonaslee, Durrow, Abbeyleix and Rathdowney, Co. Laois, Laois

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Laois Site name: Mountrath, Stradbally, Clonaslee, Durrow, Abbeyleix and Rathdowney, Co. Laois

Sites and Monuments Record No.: n/a Licence number: 14E0057

Author: Tim Coughlan

Site type: Post-medieval urban

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 634589m, N 695266m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.006980, -7.484620

This project involved the improvement of wastewater treatment works and pipeline scheme at six locations: Mountrath, Stradbally, Clonaslee, Durrow, Abbeyleix and Rathdowney, Co. Laois. The maximum width of the wayleave for the proposed pipeline was 20m. Monitoring was carried out between December 2013 and September 2014.

With the exception of a number of post-medieval walls and drains in Mountrath, nothing of archaeological significance was identified during the course of the works.

The segment of wall identified during pipe laying on the laneway south of Patrick Street and west of the Whitehorse River in Mountrath represented an earlier river boundary wall. It is clear from the 25-inch OS map of the area that the river has been realigned since this map was made and it seems likely that the walls identified represent former boundaries. The wall identified at the south of a laneway represents an earlier river boundary wall, probably early modern in date. A second section was identified within ‘Excavation Area 2’ and reported under a separate licence – 14E0055. This represents another earlier boundary wall which had been cut by an existing sewer. Much of this area was disturbed due to the successive re-alignment of the river boundary walls. The monitoring has confirmed features associated with the peripheral development of a 17th-century plantation town.

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