County: Dublin Site name: DUBLIN: 165-8 Church St.
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 93E0166
Author: Alan Hayden, Archaeological Projects Ltd.,
Site type: Historic town
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 714827m, N 734326m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.346682, -6.275437
The site occupies four former properties and measured 20m north-south by 23.5m east-west. The westernmost 13m of the site was not available for assessment. The proposed building would occupy only the easternmost 6m of the site.
Two trenches were dug by mechanical excavator on Saturday, 9th October 1993. The trenches were located so as to allow the depth of the cellars of the four properties to be determined.
Trench 1
(Located towards the northern end of the site) contained cellars to 2.6m below modern ground level. From 2.6m to 4.3m where excavation was halted, river-deposited layers of silt and gravel containing sea shells and occasional twigs occurred.
Trench 2
(Located towards the southern end of the site) contained cellars to 2.5m. Between 2.5m and 4.3m (where excavation was halted), a thick deposit of stone-free yellow clay with an oxidised upper surface occurred.
Conclusion
The clay uncovered in Trench 2 did not appear to be natural due to the lack of stones in its make-up. Its significance is unclear but it was possibly a bank either of human or natural origin on the edge of the river Liffey. No finds were uncovered but judging from its depth below ground level it is probably of ancient origin.
15 St. Brigid's Road Upper, Drumcondra, Dublin 9
