2021:210 - ATHLONE TOWN WALLS,, Westmeath

Conservation works to the Athlone Town Walls, which were funded by the Irish Historic Towns Atlas and Community Monuments Fund, were monitored archaeologically. The works were commissioned by the Heritage Officer, Melanie McQuade. Vegetation was removed from the walls at Dublin Gate (St Mary’s Church boundary wall), at the north-east demi-bastion and from the wall between the Civic centre and the Prince of Wales Hotel car park. This follows on from monitoring work by Giacometti in 2020. Evidence of re-use of stone from an earlier ecclesiastic structure was found at the third site and complemented an a previous find of a carved stone head. The vegetation was treated and the walls were consolidated. Repairs were made to the wall in St Mary’s Churchyard where gravestones had been inserted into the wall without lintels. No test-pits were excavated.