1987:57 - BRECAUN CHURCH, Portersgate, Wexford

The site is a ruined church at the edge of a boulder-clay cliff which, although partly protected by an underlying limestone shelf, is gradually being eroded by the sea. The south and east walls of the church have already fallen. An eight-week excavation was jointly funded by the O.P.W. and the Dept. of Labour, with a contribution from Poulfur Pastoral Council.

The present church, a simple rectangular structure with centrally placed doorway in the west wall, was found to overlie and partly incorporate an earlier building. Unlike its successor, this was built of unmortared stone. It was also c.3m further east, and the western wall had been razed to threshold level (the threshold was readily distinguishable, paved with two flags). Roof remains from both buildings were found, with slates, remains of plaster torching and sherds of ridge-tiles of north Devon gravel-tempered ware from the later and slates of a greenish colour from the earlier structure. Around the base of the walls of the later structure, patches of mortar with stones embedded were evidently the remains of a floor which had been removed in antiquity, and the ground here had suffered disturbance from rodent burrowing and trampling by cattle. Some pottery was found here and included Irish 15th/16th-century ware, Leinster cooking ware and Merida ware. Among later rubble were found a bronze finger-ring, probably recent, and a fragment of an ogham stone - probably a further piece of an existing stone in the National Museum.

At the west end of the earlier building (the only surviving part), was an area of hearths. Some pottery of probable 13th century type was found beneath these. Also beneath the hearths were some patches of plaster. Beneath both buildings, cut into the subsoil, are two shallow parallel lines which seem to be spade-furrows. A round-bottomed fosse, 1.06m deep, which probably enclosed the area containing the church, was exposed at two points in the cliff face. Cuttings were made near both points. The inner face of the fosse seemed to have been revetted with stones, which later collapsed into the fosse. A deep deposit of shells was found in one of the cuttings. In both places the fosse underlay a 0.3m-deep layer of topsoil. The only finds here came from this topsoil. Some shallow ditches or drains were found near the church itself.

To the north of the church was a large area covered with small stones. Initially it appeared to be a cobbled yard, but its undulating surface makes it more likely to have been a dump for field-stones.

Six fragments of human bone were found, but no burials: local tradition states that the burial ground was to the east of the church and was long ago washed away by the sea.

The site will be published in the Journal of the Wexford Historical Society.

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