2018:563 - High Street, Monaghan, Monaghan

Planning permission is being sought for the development of a site on High Street, Monaghan, to demolish outbuildings and construct a residential development on the site. As the southern edge of the development area impinges on the zone of archaeological potential associated with the historic town of Monaghan (MO009-060), Monaghan County Council requested additional information in the form of an archaeological assessment. However, due to the growth in vegetation and general steepness of the terrain, it was not possible to test the eastern side of the proposed development. It is in this area through which the main service line for foul water is to run. The western side of the site was however relatively accessible and was tested via two test trenches.
The first, to the north, uncovered evidence for significant dumping of redeposited soil, up to 2.7m in depth, to the rear of the line of garages which until recently fronted out onto Hill Street. It is clear that this ‘made up’ ground was deposited probably in the early part of the 20th century, as ceramics, dating to this period, were uncovered throughout. Below this made ground a layer of compacted highly humic soil was uncovered. Grass and twigs were still visible, again suggesting that this ground was covered over in the relatively recent past. Beneath this humic layer was a buried soil which contained ‘modern’ ceramics and bottle glass, dating to the late 19th or early 20th century. Nothing else of archaeological interest was noted in any of the test pits.
In the second trench, evidence was uncovered for a cobbled surface and a wall. The latter feature is clearly recorded on the OS maps as a building running along Hill Street. The construction of these buildings, now removed, significantly scarped the area and would have in all probability removed any significant archaeological features or deposits in the area.

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