Cashel — Boherclogh,cashel,green,hughes'-Lot East,ladyswell,loughnafina,moor,st. Dominicks Abbey,st. Francisabbey,st. Patricksrock

In 370 Cashel became the principal stronghold of the Kings of Munster (Craig, M. and the Knight of Glin, 1970, 24-25). In 1101 it became primarily an ecclesiastical centre (ibid.), having been handed over to the Church by Muircheartach O'Brien (O'Flanagan 1930, 121-127; 128-152). The town was taken out of the archbishop's control in 1218 by the Justiciar of Ireland (Bradley 1985, 45). Ten years later the new town of Cashel was returned to the control of Archbishop Marianus Ua Briain with the agreement of Henry III (ibid.). In 1250 there is a charter from Archbishop Muirin to the reeve and twelve burgesses (Cahill 1982, 8/32). Edward Bruce halted his army here in 1316 and held a Parliament at Cashel (Jackson 1957, 15-19). The town wall was built between 1319 and 1324 (Jackson 1949, 24-25). The ecclesiastical centre on the Rock of Cashel was burnt in 1647 by Murrough O'Brien, Earl of Inchiquin (Op. cit., 1970, 24-25). From the 1980s onwards, a series of archaeological excavations have uncovered information about the medieval layout of the town. In 1988 a trial excavation was conducted at the town wall in the Mitchelstown Co-op complex revealed that 'a thick occupation deposit ran under the wall and may have related to a pre-walled Norman occupation or to some activity associated with the ecclesiastical settlement at the Rock of Cashel' (O'Donnell 1989, 36). A subsequent excavation in 1990 confirmed the medieval date of the wall (Stevens 1991, 51). A post-medieval four-sided sunken stone structure (c.4.3m x 3.5m ext.) was also revealed (ibid.). Other test excavations in 1990 close to the Main Street frontage, at 66-73 Main St., revealed possible house floors of probable medieval date (Hayden 1991, 51-2). Excavation in 1997 at Lower Gate Street found no evidence to suggest that there was medieval or post-medieval suburban settlement or activity outside the walled town (Henry 1998, 160). It can be surmised, in this part of Cashel, that the town wall acted as a boundary for buildings and gardens (ibid.). From April 1998 to January 1999 a new storm and foul network of pipes was laid in and around parts of the town of Cashel (Henry 2000, 190). A licence was held to monitor all ground disturbance works in association with this scheme (ibid.). Regarding The Green and Upper Green, an area of the town that is c. 40m to the south of the medieval walled town, there was no evidence to suggest the presence of extra-mural activity of medieval date (ibid. 191). Equally there was no evidence uncovered in McCann Street, a street c. 80m to the east of the walled town, to suggest that there ever was significant medieval or post-medieval activity in this part of the town (ibid.). There were no traces of earlier street patterns, strata or structures of any significant archaeological date, other than services, found on McCann Street (ibid.). It could be concluded that there was little or no tendency for the town of Cashel to expand in any large scale in an easterly or southerly direction beyond the walled town during the medieval period and in particular in the earlier part of the post-medieval period (ibid.). Another area looked at outside the walled town was Camus Road, 90m to the west of the west circuit of the walled town (ibid.). Limited evidence was found of archaeological activity (ibid.). A possible medieval cobbled surface was uncovered during pre-construction testing (ibid.). The surface was sealed with a rich, black, organic dumped material (ibid.). The findings from Camus Road, though limited, tied into those found on the lane off Camus Road (ibid.). This lane extended in a westerly direction away from the walled town and at right angles to the west of Camus Road (ibid.). There was a dense network of cobbled surfaces, one superseding the other. In most instances the surfaces were separated by medieval, dumped, organic material (ibid.). In addition to the medieval deposits and cobbled surfaces a substantial wall was uncovered in section. It was 7m long and had an average height of 0.5m (ibid.). Though of medieval date, the wall was pre-dated by organic deposits and surfaces. It was not possible to determine the function of the wall (ibid.). However, the findings from the excavation along the lane confirmed that there was extra-mural activity during the medieval and post-medieval period in this part of the town (ibid.). Evidence of early streets was uncovered: their demise, the build-up of organic material, the laying of new cobbled surfaces and a substantial medieval wall, a possible wall of a large extra-mural building (TS061-025032-) (ibid.). Colliers Lane and William Street in the centre of the town were looked at (ibid.). Both areas would have been at the heart of or close to commercial activity in the medieval market town (ibid.). Colliers Lane, though just outside the walled town, would have been close to the activities in the medieval town, and the lane is very near the Dominican Abbey (ibid.). Perhaps the most noteworthy feature of Colliers Lane was the very high level of disturbance and truncation of deposits by stone-lined culverts and dormant and live services (ibid.). Any archaeology that may have survived from the medieval and/or post-medieval period would have been destroyed by the extensive ground disturbances along this lane during the late 19th and 20th century (ibid.). William Street provided the only opportunity to see what was going on inside the medieval walled town (ibid.). It was strategically placed between two important medieval streets, John Street and Main Street, and would have extended alongside the backs of properties that fronted onto those streets and burgage plots (ibid.). Although the trench for the new pipes was quite narrow, archaeological remains of a medieval date were identified during the monitoring of construction works (ibid.). A post-medieval street surface was picked up (ibid.). It overlay two earlier surfaces, again both of post-medieval date (ibid.). The surfaces sealed dumped occupational debris of medieval date (TS061-025033-) (ibid.). The deposit was typical dumped domestic waste that is very common to medieval towns (ibid.). No structures of medieval date were uncovered along the pipeline route (ibid.). The deposits reflect typical medieval activity, the dumping and accumulation of the residue from everyday activities inside a medieval town (ibid.). The development of a site at Collier's Lane, Cashel, required an archaeological assessment (Hurley 2000, 285). The site is close to the Dominican priory (founded in 1243) and is just outside the walled town (ibid.). A number of linear features were uncovered by the excavation. Given that the Dominican priory is so close, that these lands most likely belonged to that order, and that they are known to have houses and gardens close to the abbey, it is most likely that these linear features are the drainage ditches that marked out these gardens and fields (ibid.). It is noticeable that in all editions of the OS 6-inch map of the area the site is shown as being empty except for a series of small houses or sheds fronting part of Collier's Lane (ibid.). Excavation of Cashel's medieval town wall and associated features was conducted before the construction of a library, adjacent to Friar Street (Gregory 2000, 286). The excavated area consisted of the N-S basal remains of the town wall, built c. 1265 (ibid.). The inner portion of the town wall was built on the remains of a substantial backfilled ditch (D 1.8m) that extended beyond the excavation area (ibid.). Part of a human burial was recovered from the base of this ditch. The backfill contained 13th-14th-century pottery (ibid.). It is probable that the pottery entered here during the backfilling phase. The nature of the backfill is consistent with bank material (ibid.). It is possible that this ditch and bank arrangement has some association with the nearby St John's Cathedral (ibid.). St John's Cathedral is on the site of a