2023:349 - Mary Street, Enniscorthy, Wexford

Archaeological monitoring was carried out as part of the Enniscorthy Waste Water Treatment Plant Upgrade at Mary Street, Slaney Street and Island Road, located on the south side of Enniscorthy town, Co. Wexford. Archaeological monitoring was recommended based on a previous archaeological assessment prepared by John Cronin and Associates in 2022, and a subsequent monitoring report related to geotechnical site investigations carried out by Martin Fitzpatrick (22E0510). The recommendation was based on the discovery of a concentration of stone and mortar representing a possible wall.

Archaeological monitoring was carried out between July and September of 2023. Initial groundworks included the excavation of a slot trench at the location of the wall feature to define its extent, determine its date and function, and inform any necessary adjustments to the groundworks to mitigate any impact.

The largest exposed wall section was L-shaped in plan, with a corner to the southeast that turned 90-degrees towards Enniscorthy Bridge. The width of the wall varied between 0.52m and 0.61m and it was comprised of randomly coursed flat stones with a cream-coloured lime mortar. The top of the wall appeared to have been relatively undisturbed and two cornerstones to the southeast were dressed and mitred, while the north-west end of the wall appeared to have been demolished entirely. This appeared to have been caused by the modern services extending across Island Road and through the wall, as well as parallel to the wall. The exposed height of the wall was 2.1m, with excavations stopped at this level due to safety issues. This wall has been interpreted as representing a wing wall tied into the quay wall on the west bank of the River Slaney and associated with the construction of the Enniscorthy Bridge in AD 1775. The wall appears to have been partially demolished when the bridge was subsequently improved in the 1830s. A painting of the bridge by Sandby (c. 1775) and an engraving dated to 1797, both as viewed from the east, show the southeast-facing side of the bridge including a wing wall, albeit on the opposite side to that uncovered.

Post-medieval finds including pottery (late 17th–18th century), clay pipe stems and red brick fragments, were found in the deposits either side of the wall. After consultation with the National Monuments Service and the developer, the proposed trench layout was amended to eliminate any impact on the wall. An inspection chamber was placed immediately to the southwest of the wall, which meant that groundworks associated with the connecting pipe trenches would be in line with the wall. All groundworks were monitored and the wall was not present in any of the excavated trenches.

A second wall was found at the north-east end of Slaney Street at a depth of approximately 1.25m. A 1m section was exposed, with the wall measuring 0.85m in height and 0.76m in width. It comprised loose flat stones with no evidence of mortaring and it had been previously disturbed, with fallen stone visible on both sides. The wall was within a very loose, fine-grained sandy gravel, containing red brick fragments and clay pipe stems. Due to the instability of the gravel and the depth of the feature, excavation was stopped due to safety concerns. As the impact of the groundworks on this wall was confined to the already disturbed upper layers, it was preserved by record before works continued. The wall is likely post-medieval in date and possibly part of a garden wall or associated with a footpath that once extended along this area where Mary Street merges with Island Street, and therefore unrelated to the wing and quay wall.

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