County: Tipperary Site name: Parteen Basin, Ballycuddy More, Cloughjordan
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 22E0343
Author: Colum Hardy
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 570268m, N 670156m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.781605, -8.440714
Archaeological monitoring of geotechnical Ground Investigation (GI) works between Parteen Basin and Cloughjordan in Co. Tipperary associated with the Water Supply Project (WSP) – Eastern and Midlands Region took place between June and August 2022. The project comprises the abstraction of water from the lower River Shannon at Parteen Basin with a new water treatment plant nearby at Birdhill and a Break Pressure Tank at Cloughjordan, all in Co. Tipperary. Treated water will then be piped 170km to a termination point reservoir at Peamount in County Dublin, connecting into the Greater Dublin Area.
Due to access issues, a number of GI work locations were inaccessible. As a result, only six boreholes and two slit trenches recommended for archaeological monitoring in the Archaeological Assessment (McCulloch 2022) were monitored at this time.
The six boreholes were in the townlands of Kilmaglasderry, Kilmastulla, Clareen, Belleen Lower and Ballyannymore. In each case, the topsoil was removed by hand to a depth of 0.3–0.4m with nothing of archaeological significance recorded.
Two slit trenches were monitored, one in Lackenavea (Dunalley) townland and the second within Dromin townland. The first slit trench measured 3.1m in length, 0.52m wide and 1.2m deep. The stratigraphy consisted of asphalt of 0–0.1m deep, bitmac 0.1–0.3m deep, hardcore fill from 0.3–0.6m deep and brown clay with medium sized stones and boulder inclusions from 0.6–1.2m. The second slit trench measured c.3.3m long, 0.4–0.68m wide and 1.3m deep. Tarmac measured 0.05m deep and fill/hardcore for the tarmac measured between 0.05–0.4m deep. The fill of the trench consisted of a firm brown clay with a final depth of 1.3m reached.
Nothing of archaeological significance was recorded in either of the trenches and they were backfilled and resurfaced.
Should access issues be resolved in the future, further works may take place on the GI locations deemed inaccessible.
Reference:
McCulloch, B. 2022. Water Supply Project – Eastern and Midlands Region: Assessment of Proposed GI Locations and Infrastructure for Lot 1: Parteen Basin to Cloughjordan, Co. Tipperary. Unpublished report by AMS for Irish Water on behalf of Causeway Geotech Ltd.
c/o Archaeological Management Solutions, Fahy's Road, Kilrush, Co. Clare
