County: Clare Site name: O'DEA'S CASTLE, Dysert
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 25:9501 Licence number: 95E0132
Author: D. Blair Gibson
Site type: House - medieval
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 528166m, N 685037m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.911377, -9.067980
The site of what appeared to be the ruined foundation course of a rectangular structure, 14.7m x 8.5m in overall dimensions, is located on the grounds of the Dysert Castle Archaeology Centre, a little over 20m to the east of a tower house, O'Dea's Castle. Prior to excavation, the ruins consisted of a grassy hummock north of the carpark wall, with two high points that were 1.12m and 1.19m higher than ground level at the site datum, and approximately 1.7m above ground level in the carpark. Though little of the north-west wall of the ruins could be seen, the ends of the south-west and north-east walls were visible, the former consisting of smaller fitted stone, the latter consisting of two huge boulders placed on end in a line. All the stone in the structure, as well as the bedrock, was limestone.
Three levels were fairly uniform over the site. These were:
Level A- A topsoil level containing modern rubbish.
Level B- A level that commenced at the top with pea gravel. It contained much rubble in the form of portions of quartzite roof slates, large quantities of rock, and pieces of old mortar. In the units encompassing the lime kiln, Level B included the structure itself.
Level C- Also a rubble layer, but it was distinct from B in that it contained much higher quantities of old mortar in the upper portion of the level. This level produced fewer roof slates. Level C in Unit 4 produced large quantities of charcoal, terminating in a continuous charcoal lens. Though Level C in Units 2 and 3 also produced charcoal and a small area of burning was found within this layer, the soil was light brown with clay.
The only unit in which excavation progressed far enough to encounter additional levels was Unit 2. In this unit a dark midden soil was encountered in the western 1m x 1m quadrant below Level C, and, for that matter, stratigraphically below the footings of the north-west wall of the structure. Three layers within this dark soil were distinguished as levels D-F.
Most of the work of this season was devoted to the excavation of deposits that are most likely post-medieval. While Layer A dates to this century, both layers B and C produced finds linking them to the lime kiln, and the nature of the finds from the fabric of this structure makes a date in the 19th or 18th centuries likely. The lime kiln had probably been abandoned before the present century as elderly local informants had no knowledge of a kiln being present at the site.
The north-east and south-east walls of the rectangular structure may be portions of a bawn wall that originally extended into the present-day carpark towards the castle. The presence of a finely built, elevated stairwell would seem to indicate that the building was substantial and at least three stories high.
The footings of the north-west wall rest upon occupation deposits. The nearby castle is the likely source of these deposits. It is therefore a strong possibility that the building was erected at some time following the construction of O'Dea's castle in 1480. Carbon dates on charcoal obtained from this occupation layer should resolve this issue.
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