EXCAVATION of land earmarked for the final phase of the Limerick to Foynes road has revealed an early Medieval cashel, a type of settlement where people lived between the fifth and 10th centuries.

The Limerick Leader can reveal detailed archaeological investigations carried out last year uncovered the ancient stone settlement, along with a number of 18th and 19th-century military artefacts, in the townland of Ballyclogh, around 4km from Askeaton.

The site lies directly in the path of the proposed road, where a junction is planned to link it to the West Limerick town.

It looks like the ancient cashel will make way for the road, despite former landowner Denis Lane calling on Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to consider realigning its path to preserve the structure, suggesting it could become a tourist attraction similar to the stone circle in Grange.

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“I’d hate to see anything like this interfered with, and I feel it should be preserved for future generations,” he said.
Mr Lane, whose land was acquired on a compulsory basis, believes the cashel could represent a tourism opportunity for Askeaton.

“The site could be preserved and documented so the public have access to see a part of local history,” he suggested.

The route of the road was already realigned once from a neighbouring estate due to a similar discovery.

However, a second move of the road is not expected, with a council spokesperson saying this cashel site cannot be preserved in situ.

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Following consultation with the National Monuments Service and the National Museum of Ireland, the council said the site would instead be “preserved by record through archaeological excavation”.

In practical terms, this means the site will not be retained physically, but will be fully documented before removal.

A council spokesperson confirmed that the discovery will not alter the planned route of the road.

Archaeological works have been ongoing along the route for the past two years on behalf of Limerick City and County Council, funded by TII, with a number of significant finds recorded.

At Ballyclogh, other features identified include two kilns—one believed to have been used for drying cereal and another for lime-burning—as well as a rectangular building thought to date from the 18th or 19th century.

Prehistoric artefacts, including a saddle quern—a simple hand-operated stone mill—along with stone axe fragments and items dating from the early medieval to early modern period, have also been uncovered.

A council spokesperson said a small number of late 18th and 19th-century military items, including buttons and a badge, were recovered.

These may suggest that at least two units of the British Army—the Third East Kent Regiment and the Royal Irish Artillery—were camped nearby and may have made use of the site.

This activity is thought to date from a period when Martello towers were being constructed along the coastline in anticipation of a possible French invasion.

No archaeological site had been recorded on the land prior to last year’s investigations, which confirmed the presence of the cashel.

The site is located approximately 300 metres from Ballyclogh House, a protected structure.

Now a shell, the five-storey country house was built around 1790.

The first phase of the Limerick to Foynes road, up to Croagh and including the Adare bypass, is expected to open in time for next year’s Ryder Cup.

The council has said a contract for the remaining section is expected to be in place by 2026 or 2027, with the full route to Foynes scheduled for completion by the end of 2030.

Neither the Department of Transport nor TII responded to a request for comment from Limerick Live.