2016:204 - Castle Keep, Abbeyside, Dungarvan, Waterford

Planning permission was granted for the construction of 21 houses in Abbeyside, Dungarvan in 2006, planning reference number 05/66. Eachtra Archaeological Projects undertook several phases of work (Licence 02E1727) at the site between 2002 and 2008 overseen by the writer. Interim reports (Richardson 2002, Ó Faoláin 2005, Ó Faoláin 2008, O’Mahony 2008) detailing this work were submitted to the relevant authorities. Work at the site was resumed early in 2016. A new grant of planning (15/750) was granted for the construction of 17 houses and all associated roads and site works. Jacinta Kiely and John Tierney have been retained by the owner to provide archaeological services for the project. As requested by the NMS the archaeological work at the site will continue using the licence 02E1727.

The licence was extended in 2016 to monitor construction works associated with the construction houses in the western part of the site.

House Site 5:

Topsoil was stripped from an area measuring 15m by 15m. The features recorded can be divided into two groups: 19th-century agricultural features and a possible Bronze Age trough. The 19th-century activity which comprised a pair of shallow ditches, which would have flanked both sides of a field bank, bisected the house site. The ditches were orientated north-east/south-west. The Bronze Age activity comprises a pair of interconnected troughs. They were recorded close to one of the ditches. No trace of a burnt mound had survived and there was no water in the troughs. The troughs sloped to the east end which was the deepest. Trough 1 measured 1.65m north-south x 1m wide x 0.45m deep. It was filled with heat-shattered stone and black/grey sandy silt - standard ‘burnt mound’ type material. Trough 2 measured 1.85m x 1.2m x 0.45-0.6m deep.

House Site 12 and Access Road:

The topsoil was removed by machine under supervision. It was then hand cleaned and a number of features were sectioned. The features can be divided into 19th-century agricultural features and possible medieval features. The medieval features comprised two shallow linear features (C & H) recorded 9m apart. Both were orientated east-west and measured 0.6m in width by 0.2m in depth. A possible medieval pit (G) was located on the edge of the house site adjacent to the feature H. It measured 1.5m x 0.75m and extended beyond the area of the house site. The agricultural and modern features comprised two field ditches, a stone-filled drain, a pit and an area of burning.

The topsoil was stripped from the area of the access road (26m x 6m) parallel to the house site. The field ditch recorded in the area of HS 12 extended into the area of the access road and measured 3m wide by 1.1m deep. A linear feature (J & L) was recorded on either side (2.5 - 3m) of the ditch. They were orientation in the same direction as the ditch within the area of the trench but were similar in size and depth to the medieval linear features in the area of HS 12.

House Sites 13-16:

The topsoil had been stripped from this area in 2008 (O’Faoláin 2008). The area was hand-cleaned and a number of linear features were sectioned. The finds from the site included c. 170 sherds of medieval pottery. As raft foundations will be used in the construction of the houses in this part of the site no further archaeological work is required.

House Sites 19-22:

The houses sites in the north portion of the site are located in what were the back gardens of a terrace of houses that faced onto Home Rule Street, Abbeyside, and are marked on the 1st edition OS map. The area of the access road (20m in length) and the footprint of the house sites were stripped of topsoil. Modern features associated with the yards of the houses (a brick layer, stone drain and a shell midden) on Home Rule Street were recorded.

Discussion:

The archaeology features, a series of ditches and linear features, which formed part of a relict field system, have been recorded in the area of the development site at Castle Keep, Abbeyside, Dungarvan. The medieval field boundaries are generally orientated north-east/south-west and the later post-medieval field boundaries extended in the opposite direction. Over 200 sherds of medieval and post-medieval pottery has been recovered from the west. To date only one pit, stone-lined, has been recorded in the west area of the site.

Monitoring and recording has been completed in the area of House Sites 1-7, 12-16 and 19-22. No archaeological monitoring has been undertaken in the area of House Sites 8-11 and 17-18 as ground disturbance works associated with construction has not yet commenced in this part of the site.

References:

Ó Faoláin, S. 2005 Archaeological Impact Assessment, Abbeyside, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford. Unpublished report Eachtra Archaeological Projects.

Ó Faoláin, S. 2008 Archaeological Testing Report, Abbeyside, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford. Unpublished report Eachtra Archaeological Projects.

O’Mahony, E 2008 Archaeological Excavation Report, Abbeyside, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford. Unpublished report Eachtra Archaeological Projects.

Richardson, Á & Doolan, A. 2002 Archaeological Testing, Abbeyside, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford. Unpublised report Eachtra Archaeological Projects.

Lickybeg, Clashmore, Co Waterford