County: Kilkenny Site name: 12, Father Hayden Road, Kilkenny
Sites and Monuments Record No.: KK019-026173 Licence number: 20E0498
Author: Orla Scully
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 650752m, N 655392m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.647353, -7.250010
Monitoring of surface stripping and the digging of foundations for an extension to a modern bungalow yilded no evidence for an enclosing ditch associated with the earlier phase of the church of St Patrick (the site of which lies across the road to the north), the earliest Christian foundation in Kilkenny city, referred to as early as the late 7th century. This may be due to a shallower dig than that carried out in the neighbouring site which found potential traces of a former ditch at a depth of 1.3m below the surface. The maximum depth achieved was 1m at the south-west, reducing to 0.8m at the east. No archaeological features were disturbed by the excavation of the foundations and no further archaeological involvement is deemed necessary.
The attached image shows the hypothetical outline of the ecclesiastic enclosure, with the current site and the 2005 test trenches superimposed (using base map by Bradley 2000 and trench location of testing 05E0102 courtesy of C. Ó Drisceoil).
Reference
Bradley, John (2000) No. 10 Irish Historic Towns Atlas. Kilkenny. Royal Irish Academy. 2000. Eds A. Simms, H. B. Clarke & r. Gillespie. Consultant ed. J.H. Andrews.
7, Bayview, Tramore Co. Waterford X91 X462
