2026:260 - Ballymodan Place (Gully townland), Bandon, Cork

Archaeological excavation was undertaken at basement level within No. 8 Ballymodan Place, Bandon, Co. Cork, to assess the potential impact of internal renovation works undertaken without planning permission. A previous archaeological assessment commissioned by Cork County Council identified the property as lying on or close to the location of the 17th-century West Gate of Bandon town (Cotter 2026), and subsequent recommendations required further archaeological investigation.

Excavation, undertaken over a one-week period in August 2026, confirmed the survival of substantial elements of the West Gate and associated town defences beneath the existing 19th-century building. The 17th-century town wall was identified beneath the western gable of the house, together with an associated stone-built staircase. The surviving gatehouse elements comprise an original mortared floor surface, a substantial southern wall, an approximately 6m-long section of the town wall forming the western side of the structure, the stone staircase, and associated northern and eastern walls. Collectively, these remains define a basement-level room measuring approximately 3.8m north–south by 4.6m, interpreted as part of the former gatehouse.

The archaeological sequence has been divided into three periods of activity. Period One represents the construction and use of the 17th-century gatehouse, comprising the original floor surface (C.09), staircase (C.13) and four associated walls (C.03, C.07, C.14 and C.15). Period Two represents the subsequent modification and reuse of the structure, including the demolition of the upper levels of the gatehouse, construction of a new basement floor (C.08), modification of the stairwell and the construction of the late 18th-/early 19th-century three-bay, three-storey house over the reused basement. The basement was subsequently adapted for domestic use, including as a coal store. Period Three represents the deliberate infilling of the basement during the late 20th century with modern building rubble and associated debris.