2023:548 - Seir Kieran, Offaly

The Irish Heritage School ([IHS] on behalf of CRDS Ltd) undertook archaeological monitoring during conservation works of the western graveyard wall at Seir Kieran Graveyard, Churchlands, Clareen, County Offaly. This work was undertaken under Ministerial Consent issued by the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht under Section 14 of the National Monuments Acts (Consent C001095).

The IHS acted as project archaeologists, as part of a larger multi-disciplinary group which included David Kelly and Partners (Conservation Engineers and Project Supervisor Design Phase), Frank C. Murray & Sons Construction Ltd (Conservation Builder and Project Supervisor Construction Phase) and Margaret Quinlan (Conservation Architect). Prior to the first site works commencing in 2022 David Kelly and Partners were commissioned to carry out a condition report on the graveyard wall in 2021 which included an archaeological (and ecological) survey and historical summary of the site by the IHS. This reporting, funded by the Community Monuments Fund, identified the most at-risk medieval sections of the wall. In 2022 Margaret Quinlan with David Kelly and Partners and the IHS prepared a Method Statement for the most urgent works to the Recorded Monument, with Ministerial Consent subsequently granted in May 2022. Full ortho-rectified photos were also undertaken at the site prior to archaeological monitoring commencing in July 2022. Monitoring continued intermittently on site across July, August and September 2022, with full archaeological reporting of the works subsequently issued in November 2022.

A second application made to the Community Monuments Fund, primarily for conservation of the western graveyard wall, was successful in 2023 (with Consent C001095 subsequently extended). Monitoring of these works commenced the week starting August 7, after all livestock had been removed from the field, and comprised: regular archaeological inspection of conservation works in consultation with the Conservation Engineer; visual assessments of any raked-out mortars from the works; archaeological supervision of the removal of collapsed rubble along the wall face, and archaeological supervision of the removal of vegetation from the wall.

During the course of the monitoring no archaeological artefacts or architectural fragments were recorded. It was noted on areas of the western boundary, where presumed historic collapses of the wall had been infilled (possibly in the 19th century) that a wider foundation still survived in places – i.e., that only the upper portion of the medieval wall had collapsed. All works at the site concluded in October 2023.

John's Hall, John's Mall, Birr, Co. Offaly