County: Kildare Site name: NAAS: Abbey St.
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 95E0042
Author: Martin Reid
Site type: Graveyard
Period/Dating: Late Medieval (AD 1100-AD 1599)
ITM: E 689151m, N 719495m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.218384, -6.665080
The foundation trenches for two walls of a rear extension to John Smith's Betting Shop were archaeologically monitored in February 1995. The site is within the walls of medieval Naas, and in addition there had been a report of burials being found during construction work in this general area.
At the base of the construction trenches a deposit of gravelly clay 0.3–0.4m thick was found to contain human bones. One articulated skeleton was excavated and this directly overlay a second individual whose remains were left in the ground (this was below the level of the foundation trench). The disarticulated remains represented a minimum number of five adults and two juveniles. The undisturbed skeleton was an adult male whose skull had been cut a minimum of five times, and several of these cuts were probably made post-mortem. Several sherds of medieval pottery were recovered from the burial deposit.
The site has been identified as the cemetery of the hitherto-unlocated Dominican Friary in Naas.
32 Rathgar Ave., Dublin 6
