County: Tipperary Site name: Horeabbey (Boithrín Bocht), Cashel
Sites and Monuments Record No.: TS 061: 024 Licence number: 19E0531
Author: Niall Gregory
Site type: No Archaeological Significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 207045m, N 140945m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.517500, -7.900000
The client, Cashel – Tipperary Municipal Area, undertook the installation of a kerb section of path at the Boithrín Bocht Road Junction, the upgrade of existing gully pipe crossing from 100mm diameter to 150mm diameter and the installation of two lighting pots with associated 50mm duct for ESB supply. This work comprises the final follow-up works to the Circular Road Footpath Construction and Boithrín Bocht Drainage Repairs/Replacement (16E00562 and 18E0592 respectively). The work was undertaken as Part 8 Development.
During the two previous projects, a burnt spread dating to late Bronze Age was partially uncovered (18E0592) some 80m to south of the western end of the proposed works, while a late Bronze Age Hearth (16E00562) was uncovered some 60m to the south of the eastern end of the proposed works. The proposed works are also c. 120m to north-north-east of Cistercian Abbey (TS061-024) and also 40m to the south of two re-sited architectural fragments (TS061-174 and TS061—175). The preceding archaeological monitoring – 16E0562 (Gregory, August 2017), identified a fire-reddened pit with a charcoal-rich fill, dating to 1856 +/1 34BC, at National Grid Reference 207152 1408988. At the same time an 18th-century culverted water channel was recorded at National Grid Reference 207105 140869. Monitoring und licence 18E0592 (Gregory, October 2018) identified the surface of a burnt spread exposed in the base of the drainage trench. It was recorded, protected and the pipe was laid over it, without further damage or alteration to the feature. A sample of the burnt spread material was retained for expert archaeo-environmental analysis and radiocarbon dating, which produced a date of 3560+/-26BP, or 1605+/-26BC.
Monitoring was undertaken between 26 August and 19 September 2019. The sub-surface stratigraphy comprised modern strata consisting of road bedding, utility trench fill or natural subsoils. At no time were any intervening archaeological strata, deposits or materials revealed.
Cashel, Co. Tipperary
