County: Limerick Site name: LIMERICK CITY
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: P. D. Sweetman, National Parks and Monuments Branch, Office of Public Works
Site type: Castle
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 558160m, N 657644m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.668353, -8.618587
Archaeological excavations were undertaken here for a period of four weeks in the autumn of 1976. The area investigated was in the N.W. quadrant immediately to the S. and E. of the N.W. corner tower. The work was undertaken prior to landscaping of the area by the Limerick Corporation.
The remains of two walls running on an E.-W. axis which had been used as part of an 18th century barracks were discovered to have 13th century foundations. Late 13th century Saintonge and Ham Green pottery were found stratified underneath a comparatively modern wall running S. from the NW. corner tower close to the bank of the river Shannon.
The bulk of the finds were located under the remains of an 18th century barracks and consisted of late 17th century pottery including an almost complete gravel-tempered bowl, a Bellarmine jug and large sherds of sgraffito plates. A small amount of late 13th century French, Ham Green and Irish pottery was also found.
