County: Offaly Site name: CLONMACNOISE
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: R. O Floinn, National Museum of Ireland
Site type: Ecclesiastical enclosure
Period/Dating: Medieval (AD 400-AD 1600)
ITM: E 600851m, N 730428m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.324109, -7.987226
The discovery of some Hiberno-Norse silver coins within the monastic enclosure prompted a short excavation in July-August 1979. A 4 x 4m square was excavated and the complete hoard was found to consist of 31 silver pennies of Hiberno–Norse date, a bronze ingot and a fragment of a gold earring deposited c. AD 1065–1095. The hoard was deposited in a simple oval pit 80cm below the surface.
Traces of occupation relating to the monastery were uncovered on the old ground level tin, below the surface. A stone lined drain (?), some shallow parallel trenches and traces of a small hearth were also found. Finds associated with these textures consisted of a jet bracelet traginent, a bone pin, some crucible fragments, a possible tuyere piece and one fragment of a clay mould. Further industrial activity was indicated by the presence of some 4kg of iron slag and a small furnace bottom.
