2015:322 - O’Connell Street/Marlborough Street, Dublin, Dublin

Monitoring and excavation was undertaken at Marlborough Street/O’Connell Street, Dublin, between January 2014 and July 2015 for GMC (Ireland) Ltd on behalf of the Railway Procurement Agency now Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). Monitoring of excavations for Utilities Works was carried out along the route of the planned Luas Cross City (LCC) light rail system at Marlborough Street and O’Connell Street.

During the course of monitoring at Marlborough Street and O’Connell Street a broad range of structures and deposits were recovered which chart some of the early modern development of this area of the city. Riverine gravels were found at relatively shallow depths on Marlborough Street at the Abbey Street junction suggesting that the shoreline extended in a spur at this point before curving inwards at O’Connell Street. The earliest features and deposits on O’Connell Street comprised deposits of red-brickfield dust related to brick kilns in the Moore Street area in the earlier 18th century. This was overlain by extensive areas of metalling which were found throughout the northern end of the street. These are likely to represent earlier street levels. A range of cellars were found on O’Connell Street. The earliest were found at the junction of Abbey Street and within the central island. These were fully recorded, and filled during construction. They were related to buildings which fronted onto Abbey Street prior to the construction of Sackville Street Lower. A further significant cluster of four cellar vaults were found at the north-western end of the street at the junction with Parnell Street. The upper parts of six vaults were recorded but they were not removed and did not required internal recording.

Monitoring on Marlborough Street found five 18th- to 19th-century cellars which had to be filled during construction. They were fully recorded internally. The tops of further cellar vaults were uncovered to varying degrees along the street. The remains of intact and previously damaged insulating passages linking to cellars were found throughout the street below footpath level. A range of brick sewer vaults were uncovered along with culverts linking into them. Cobbled surfaces were found, largely around Marlborough Place and the North Earl Street junction. A series of earlier boundary walls and the front of an ornamental street-fronting structure were found running north-south immediately to the west of Tyrone House. A substantial range of culverts were found at a variety of intervals along the street. The remains of earlier sewer vaults in a complex at North Earl Street/Talbot Street junction and a series of limestone-built manholes were found providing access into the Victorian built sewer still in use.

Further analysis of the results is required to refine their interpretation. The artefacts largely comprised of post-medieval pottery sherds, clay pipe sherds, glass fragments and metal artefacts.