2026:113 - Northgate Street, Athlone, Westmeath

Licensed archaeological test-trenching carried out at the site of the former Athlone Workhouse, Northgate Street/Abbey Road, Athlone, Co. Westmeath. The assessment was undertaken as part of a planning application for the proposed refurbishment and extension of the former workhouse complex.
An Archaeological Impact Assessment (AIA) was completed in April 2025 by Archer Heritage Planning Ltd., which recommended that archaeological test-trenching be undertaken following the demolition of modern extensions and within the footprint of the proposed development (McCormick 2025). Hawkes Archaeological Services were subsequently commissioned to carry out the recommended programme of test-trenching.

A total of five test trenches were excavated over a two-day period in April 2026 in areas considered to be least impacted by later construction activity. 

Archaeological material was identified in three of the five test trenches.
In Trench 1, a ditch measuring approximately 3m in width was exposed, aligned broadly north–south. The feature was filled with a dark grey silty clay containing medium-sized stones and frequent animal bone. The ditch appeared to retain water, suggesting natural silting and poor drainage. No datable artefacts were recovered; however, the character of the feature suggests an archaeological origin.
In Trench 2, two inhumation burials were identified, both broadly aligned east–west. Burial 1 was located at a depth of 0.6m below present ground level at the southern end of the trench, within a cut into the natural subsoil. Only the skull (fragmentary) and upper humerus were exposed, with the remainder of the burial extending eastwards beyond the limits of excavation.
Burial 2 was located approximately 5,8m to the north at a depth of 0.45m below present ground level. It was situated within a brown clay deposit containing fragments of brick and 19th-century pottery. The burial appeared to be aligned east–west; however, in contrast to Burial 1, the skull was positioned at the eastern end. Surviving elements included a fragmentary skull, mandible, left clavicle and upper vertebrae.
A third possible burial (Burial 3) was identified in Trench 3, located approximately 1m west of the standing workhouse building. The remains were found in the south-eastern corner of the trench within a small area of undisturbed ground. The material comprised the left radius and ulna and a possible fragment of pelvis, suggesting the presence of a disturbed or partially preserved inhumation burial.
All three potential burials were identified to the west of, and within the grounds of, the former workhouse administration building. This area has been subject to considerable disturbance from later construction activity, most notably the foundations of a mid- to late 20th-century (c.1960s/1970s) structure. However, despite this level of disturbance, intact burials appear to survive within pockets of undisturbed subsoil, while disarticulated human bone was also recovered from disturbed deposits.
The date of these burials remains uncertain. However, it is considered likely that they relate to the operational period of the workhouse, which was constructed in the mid-19th century. The identification of three burials in close proximity to the former mortuary building suggests the potential presence of an associated burial ground in this area. Notably, no formal cemetery is depicted in this location on available historic mapping, which may indicate either informal burial practices or a burial ground that was not formally recorded.
An alternative interpretation is that the burials may pre-date the workhouse. The site lies near the grounds of a former ecclesiastical complex, including a Franciscan friary located a short distance to the west. The spatial relationship raises the possibility that the burials represent an extension of, or activity associated with, this earlier landscape.
The function and date of the ditch identified in Trench 1 also remain uncertain. While it may represent a post-medieval or later drainage feature, its substantial width (c.3m) and the nature of its fills—including animal bone—suggest the potential for an earlier origin. It is possible that the ditch represents a boundary feature associated with the nearby Franciscan friary or an earlier ecclesiastical enclosure, although this interpretation remains tentative in the absence of datable material.

All potential burials were preserved in situ, awaiting further consideration from the relavant authorities.