2015:069 - DUNGARVAN: Church Street & Parnell Street, Waterford

Test trenching was carried out at the site in July and excavated 5 trenches (101m in total length). This site was formerly the garden of the Presentation Convent.

A substantial wall (0.9m in width) was encountered at the south of the area. This was 0.25 below the surface and corresponded with the north wall of the convent chapel as depicted on the 2nd edition O.S. map. Other poorly preserved foundations of a 19th-century building were identified at the northern limit of the site.

Topsoil overlay a layer of rubble which extended across most of the site. Beneath this, a layer of dark brown silt was found to be generally 0.5m in thickness. This layer contained inclusions of shell, charcoal and occasional pottery and animal bone. One fragment of slipware and other glazed earthenware fragments suggest a 17th/18th-century date for this layer.

A large sub-rectangular pit was identified at the centre of the site beneath the later deposit. This was 2.8m in maximum extent and 1.3m below the surface. A stone-filled drain was found at the east, orientated east-west, 0.8m in width and 0.8m below the surface. A north-south linear was found at the west of the site, 12m in length and 0.6m in width.

Undisturbed archaeological stratigraphy was encountered at 0.5-0.6m below ground level. Natural subsoil was of yellowish brown stony clay and appeared to deepen to the south. Although post-medieval stratigraphy was encountered, no upstanding features from this period were found.

Licensed monitoring works were conducted in September to reduce ground level by 0.4–0.5m. Nothing of archaeological significance was found during these works.