County: Wexford Site name: Vinegar Hill, Templeshannon, Enniscorthy
Sites and Monuments Record No.: WX020-118 Licence number: 22E0537 & 22R0267
Author: Colm Moriarty
Site type: Battlefield
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 698258m, N 640026m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.502764, -6.552728
Archaeological monitoring took place of the site for a new dry toilet at Vinegar Hill, Co. Wexford (Templeshannon townland). Vinegar Hill is an important 18th-century battle site. It was the scene of fierce fighting on 21 June 1798, when an United Irishmen army was defeated by British forces.
The works at Vinegar Hill involved erecting a new dry toilet near the summit of the hill. The toilet was built in a small green area that is located beside a public carpark. The construction of the dry toilet required the excavation of a septic tank pit that measured c. 2.2m long by 1.2m wide by 0.8m deep.
Due to the sensitive nature of the site, all sub-surface works were carried out under archaeological supervision. Topsoil was also spread out and inspected for artefacts and a metal detector was used to aid finds retrieval (Licence No. 22R0267).
The excavation was inspected for the presence of archaeological features and special consideration was given to the potential presence of human remains. However, no archaeological features, finds or artefacts were identified at this location.
The Hill, The Leap, Davidstown, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford
