County: Tipperary Site name: Boherclogh (Lowergate Square), Cashel
Sites and Monuments Record No.: TS061-0025023 Licence number: 19E0653 Ext.
Author: Niall Gregory
Site type: Urban, No Archaeological Significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 607377m, N 640497m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.515798, -7.891313
Tipperary County Council are undertaking upgrading works on Lowergate Square, in Cashel. This follows from a rearrangement in 2019 of the traffic flow, to that of a roundabout and reduced car parking facilities, which did not necessitate any archaeological intervention. This entails road junction remodelling, service duct excavation, some kerbing and footpath replacement as well as resurfacing of the street. The ground works include up to 5 lighting posts/stands, connected by 50mm ESB ducts. The project proposal entailed ducts requiring box trench excavation of up to 0.9m in depth and over a length of c. 130m. Other work will entail some resetting of kerbing requiring excavation up to 0.3m and three foundation excavations for 'yield' signs. The foundations shall be c. 0.4m by 0.4m and 0.5m in depth. The works had not yet occurred in 2109, therefore the licence was extended to 2021.
The works commenced on 26 May and continued to 2 September 2020. They involved 223m of service duct excavation and 12 holes to retain ESB meter boxes or light stands. The trenches were 0.4m wide and up to 1.3m in depth. The holes were typically 2m by 1.2m and up to 1.6m in depth. The predominant encountered stratigraphy consisted of 0.1m tarmac or 0.2m of concrete; 0.1 to 0.15m hardcore onto grey brown silty sand with limestone rubble, red brick fragments and mortar. Deeper aspects from 0.6-1m onwards showed a yellow silty clay as a natural subsoil frequently mixed with building debris showing its redeposited or disturbed nature.
The next phase of works, the footpath and road surfaces replacement or upgrade works, is scheduled to occur in 2021. To date no archaeology has been encountered.
Cashel, Co. Tipperary
