Tipperary County Council N24-N74 Tipperary Town Road Improvement Scheme Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment Report Author: Richard O’Brien MA, Archaeologist TII Date: September 2020 N24-N74 Tipperary Town Road Improvement Scheme Cultural Heritage Assessment Table of Contents 1 Executive Summary.......................................................................................................5 2 Introduction..................................................................................................................5 3 Description of Proposed Works.....................................................................................6 4 Legislative Background..................................................................................................6 5 Planning Policy..............................................................................................................7 6 Methodology...............................................................................................................15 7 Cultural Heritage Assessment.....................................................................................15 8 Impact Assessments....................................................................................................75 9 Conclusion & Recommendations................................................................................76 10 References...................................................................................................................79 11 Figures.........................................................................................................................82 12 Plates.........................................................................................................................102 13 Appendix 1................................................................................................................114 2 N24-N74 Tipperary Town Road Improvement Scheme Cultural Heritage Assessment List of Tables Table 1 – Archaeological monuments within 100m of the study area in 1997 Table 2 – Archaeological monuments within 100m of the study area in 2020 Table 3 – List of previous archaeological investigations in Tipperary Town & immediate environs Table 4 – Summary of results of archaeological investigations in Tipperary Town Table 5 – Buildings/structures of architectural heritage value in the vicinity of the scheme, identified from the RPS and the NIAH website Table 6 – List of Archaeological Heritage Direct Impacts Table 7 – List of Architectural Heritage Direct Impacts List of Figures Figure 1: N24-N74 Tipperary Town Road Improvement Scheme Location Map. Figure 2: Taylor Skinner Road Map Limerick to Clonmel & Cashel, 1778. Figure 3: Close-up of Tipperary Town (Taylor Skinner Road Map 1778). Figure 4: 1st Edition Ordnance Survey Six inch to One Mile Map of Tipperary Town (surveyed 1840). Figure 5: 1st Edition Ordnance Survey Six inch to One Mile Map of Tipperary Town, close-up detail of Corn Mill off Henry Street (later O’Brien Street). Figure 6: 1st Edition Ordnance Survey Six inch to One Mile Map of Tipperary Town, showing density of buildings along Main Street. Figure 7: Griffiths Valuation Map of Tipperary Town (1850), based on the 1st Edition OS six inch Map. Note large land-holdings within the town. Figure 8: 1st Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map of Tipperary Town, surveyed 1905. Figure 9: 1st Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map of O’Brien Street. The Corn Mill is no longer indicated. Figure 10: Cassini 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey Six inch to One Mile Map of Tipperary Town, mid 20th century. Figure 11: Cassini 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey Six inch to One Mile Map of O’Brien Street/Main Street. Figure 12: Figure 11: Cassini 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey Six inch to One Mile Map showing N74 Cashel Road. Note St. Michael’s Cemetery, consecrated 1914. Figure 13: National Monuments Service - Archaeological Sites Tipperary Town Zone of Notifications: Source https://webgis.archaeology.ie/historicenvironment/ Figure 14: Zones of Archaeological Potential (ZAP) of Tipperary Town, Map 19. Source: Urban Archaeological Survey County Tipperary, 1994. Figure 15: Tipperary Town Zone of Archaeological Potential Map 9. Source: Tipperary Town and Environs Development Plan, 2013–2019. Figure 16: Zones of Archaeological Potential (ZAP) of Tipperary Town, Map 20. Source: Urban Archaeological Survey County Tipperary, 1994. Figure 17: Circuit of Tipperary Town Medieval Wall (as proposed by Thomas 1992, 195). Five proposed Gate Towers are indicated on this map. Figure 18: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage Sites in Tipperary Town. Source: https://webgis.archaeology.ie/historicenvironment/ Figure 19: Tipperary Town Protected Structures (Map C). Source: Tipperary Town and Environs Development Plan, 2013–2019. Figure 20: Tipperary Town Protected Structures (Map C1). Source: Tipperary Town and Environs Development Plan, 2013–2019. Figure 21: Tipperary Town Architectural Conservation Area (ACA, Map 8). Source: Tipperary Town and Environs Development Plan, 2013–2019. 3 N24-N74 Tipperary Town Road Improvement Scheme Cultural Heritage Assessment List of Plates Plate 1: View west from Church Well to St. Mary's Church, at junction of Church Street/ Martin Breen Terrace. This is one of the locations proposed by Thomas (1992) for the Medieval Town Wall & Gate Tower. Plate 2: St. Mary's, RPS Reg. No. 41 showing boundary wall at Martin Breen Terrace. Note blocked- up doorway through graveyard boundary wall with reused carved stones at top. Plate 3: Southern end of Lower Church Street/Main Street facing north-west out the N24 Limerick Road. The Manchester Martyrs/Maid of Erin Monument is at right. Plate 4: View northeast along O’Brien Street. Proposed drainage area at middle right. Plate 5: Wall Plaque commemorating the Tivoli Cinema on O’Brien Street. Plate 6: Proposed drainage area off O’Brien Street. Plate 7: View south along proposed drainage area off O’Brien Street. Corn Mill ruins at rear. Plate 8: Junction of Lower Church Street/O'Brien Street/Main Street facing west up O'Brien Street. The Manchester Martyrs/Maid of Erin Monument stood originally at left of centre. Plate 9: The Manchester Martyrs/Maid of Erin Monument, RPS Reg. No. 50. Plate 10: Post Box on Main Street, RPS Reg. No. 77. Plate 11: O'Connor Bros. on Main Street, RPS Reg. No. 78. Plate 12: Hourigan's on Main Street, RPS Reg. No. 76. Plate 13: Julie's on Main Street, RPS Reg. No. 75. Plate 14: View of Market Place with RPS Reg. Nos. 59 and 60 on either side Plate 15: View west showing Kickham Statue RPS Reg. Nos. 86, with recent street improvement works Plate 16: View east along Bank Place from entrance to Lidl, with The Porter House RPS Reg. No. 96 at right. Plate 17: Times Hotel RPS Reg. No. 95 & Angel Architectural Salvage / Discount Golf, RPS Reg. No. 94, both on Bank Place. Plate 18: View east of N74 Father Mathew Street junction with N24 Bansha Road. Plate 19: St. Michael’s Cemetery carpark looking east. Plate 20: St. Michael’s Cemetery carpark looking west. Plate 21: St. Michael’s Cemetery entranceway. Plate 22: View along the N74 Cashel road towards eastern boundary of scheme at Brodeen/Rathsasseragh. 4 N24-N74 Tipperary Town Road Improvement Scheme Cultural Heritage Assessment 1. Executive Summary Tipperary Town has a confirmed history going back to the medieval period, potentially earlier. Tipperary is classified as a walled town, Record of Monuments and Places (RMP) No. TS067-004. To date, no in situ remains of a medieval Town Wall have come to light. As the proposed scheme involves an upgrade of the main thoroughfare of the town, the works will have a direct impact on the Zone of Archaeological Potential (ZAP), and the Architectural Conservation Area (ACA) of Tipperary Town. The Cultural Heritage Assessment Report proposes mitigation impacts during construction involving archaeological monitoring, by a suitably qualified licenced archaeologist, of excavations within the ZAP and ACA of Tipperary Town. Tipperary Town has a rich and varied architectural heritage palette. One upstanding structure is being directly impacted by the proposed works: the cast-iron post box on lower Main Street (Reg. No. 22108077: RPS Reg. No. 77). The works will involve the temporary removal, storage, and reinstatement of this structure. It is recommended that a detailed proposal outlining all aspects in relation to the removal, storage and reinstatement of this structure be prepared and submitted to the relevant authorities, in advance of works commencing. During the course of the removal and reinstatement works the monitoring archaeologist will be employed to record these works. It is proposed that the drainage works on O’Brien Street, although located outside the ZAP of the town, will be surveyed using geophysics, followed by targeted archaeological testing, in advance of construction works. Should archaeological remains be found mitigation in the form of preservation in situ or preservation by record will be proposed to the relevant statutory authorities. At the conclusion of all archaeological and architectural works a fully illustrated report, supported by public dissemination events, will be produced and published. 2. Introduction The aim of the proposed N24-N74 Tipperary Town Road Improvement Scheme is to upgrade the road pavement, footpaths and drainage of the present N24 Limerick Road and N74 Cashel road within Tipperary Town, Co. Tipperary. The scheme extends for approximately 1.6 km through the townlands of Bohercrow,