2014:121 - Mullingar, various streets including Austin Friars Street, Co. Westmeath, Westmeath

Archaeological monitoring was undertaken in the environs of the historic town of Mullingar (RMP WM019-089) between July 2013 and June 2014. The majority of the pipework was installed using the trenchless pipe bursting and directional drilling techniques. This method requires the excavation of both launch and receptor pits excavated at 100m intervals. These were normally sited over existing infrastructure and therefore previously disturbed ground. No finds or features were identified throughout the scheme with the exception of human remains found at the junction of Austin Friars Street and McCurtain Street. This area has been the subject of a number of archaeological interventions in the past and is the presumed site of an Augustinian Priory (WM019-089009), which was founded in Mullingar for the Canons Regular of St Augustine by Ralph Petit, bishop of Meath, c. 1227. The priory was dissolved in 1540 and was taken over by Augustinian friars before 1643. Archaeological excavation at this priory site by Michael Gibbons in October 1996 revealed numerous burials and some artefacts. Keeley, O’Riordan, Meenan and Duffy have also recovered human remains in the area during previous excavation works.

The in situ remains were found outside the entrance to Mc Dermott’s Shop, Austin Friars Street (R3920) on the southern side of the carriageway (ITM ref. 643946 753088) opposite the ‘pilgrims’ statue. At this location a 1m x 1.5m trench was mechanically excavated to expose an existing water valve.  Spoil material from the fill contained a moderate amount of disarticulated human bone. On further excavation the partial remains of a single skeleton orientated east west were found at a depth of 1.05m below the road surface. The remains consisted of the left lower limbs comprising some left carpels and phalanges innominate, left femur, upper portion of left tibia and fibula. The right hand side and lower portion of the remains had been previously disturbed by the installation. In order to limit the potential impact on additional graves, the limits of the cut were not fully defined. The fill material was a dark brown silty coarse sand with moderate amount of small stones. The remains are currently undergoing analysis by an osteoarchaeologist and the results of this analysis is pending.

3 Gort na Ri