1996:128 - KILMAINHAM: Bow Bridge/Irwin Street, Dublin

Archaeological assessment of the site at Bow Bridge/Irwin Street, Kilmainham, Dublin, was conducted in two phases, 14–17 June and 7 December 1996 respectively, on behalf of Archaeological Development Services Ltd.

Phase 1
Five trial-trenches were excavated by machine to establish the uppermost levels of stratified archaeological deposits in the southern half of the site, which was formerly occupied by a cement works. The only feature of note revealed in this investigation was a perfectly constructed cobbled surface, recorded at 4.39m OD, located in the south-west of the site. The stones for this surface averaged 0.15m in diameter. A sherd of sgraffito pottery retrieved from the overlying clay layer would suggest a late seventeenth/early eighteenth-century date for this feature. It is possible that this surface was associated with the dwelling-houses and stables depicted in Rocque’s map of Dublin in 1756.

Phase 2
Nine trial-pits were excavated by machine in the northern half of the site. This method of assessment was adopted when it became clear that the area under investigation had previously acted as a refuse dump.

All nine pits revealed a similar stratigraphy, composed of a depth of 2.5–3m of loose backfill. This overburden contained all kinds of household rubbish, including a sherd of a white side plate bearing the crest of the Royal Hibernian Hotel and also a sherd of stamped white ware from Dunn Bennett and Co. Ltd, Royal Victoria Pottery, Burslem, England, which was produced between 1875 and 1907. The nature of the deposits suggests that the area investigated had been in use as a refuse dump from the nineteenth to the early twentieth century. The pottery evidence from the stratified layers below this dumped material appears to indicate that these layers postdate the late seventeenth century. Where the original ground surface was exposed there was no evidence of earlier activity.

146 Iveragh Rd, Whitehall, Dublin 9