2022:613 - Tullow Road, Chapelstown, Carlow, Carlow

Archaeological test excavations were undertaken for a proposed development site, Cois Dara 2, in Chapelstown townland situated to the north of Tullow Road and approximately 2.5km east-south-east of the historic town of Carlow. The testing consisted of eight test trenches totalling 220.5 linear metres excavated across available areas in the northern and western portions of the site. The archaeological testing was carried out on 29 March 2022.
The site, which measured 1.73 hectares, had functioned for two decades as a building compound, storage area, car parking, site access, haul route and topsoil store. The topsoil had been entirely stripped across the site prior to the testing. The natural subsoil was exposed and disturbed. It consisted of loose mid-brownish orange sandy silt with occasional pebbles and stone, and patches of loose mid-grey sand and sub-rounded pebbles and stones.
Five post-medieval/modern field drains of an agricultural nature were revealed in Trench 1 and Trench 4, however, no archaeological deposits, features or objects were present in Trench 2, Trench 3 or Trenches 5–8. All the field drains were earth-cut features orientated either north-north-east/south-south-west, north–south or east–west. Their dimensions varied from 1–34m long, 0.4–1.54m wide and 0.09–0.2m deep.
Two clay pipe stem fragments and two sherds of undecorated glazed white-ware fragments broadly dated to the post-medieval/modern period were recovered from the field drains.

Fahy’s Road, Kilrush, Co. Clare