1997:119 - DUBLIN: Sisters of the Holy Faith, The Coombe, Dublin

Two of three phases of archaeological assessment and monitoring were undertaken at a proposed redevelopment at the site of The Sisters of the Holy Faith Convent, The Coombe, Dublin 8. The convent fronts onto the north side of The Coombe and the site is bounded on the west by Hanover Street West and on the north by a school fronting onto Mark's Alley West.

The first-stage investigation was undertaken within vacant areas to the east and west sides of the convent building during February 1997. This involved the excavation of five test-trenches, four of which were mechanically excavated. A second-stage investigation was undertaken over August to October 1997 within the area to the west of the convent and involved monitoring of ground reduction, the mechanical excavation of two test-trenches and the monitoring of strip and pad foundations. A third stage of monitoring of ground reduction and development foundations was undertaken through November and December 1997 on the eastern side of the convent building. Finally, a fourth stage of monitoring was undertaken on the site of the convent building and the area to its immediate north over January 1998. During monitoring works of stages 3–4 the author was assisted by Avril Purcell.

Stage 1
Four trenches orientated west-east were mechanically excavated through the central portion of a vacant plot of land immediately east of the convent building. Trench 1 (5.5m x 0.7m) was located 2.4m east of the convent building, Trench 2 (4.5m x 0.7m) was positioned 3m east of Trench 1, Trench 3 (11m x 0.7m) was positioned 5m east of Trench 2, and Trench 4 (4m x 1m) was located towards the eastern perimeter of the yard, over a platform of dump and soil retained behind a north-south-aligned low concrete block wall. A similar soil profile of dark brown soil (0–0.8m) and dark brown clay (0.8–0.9m) was revealed across the tested area. Features from this area consisted of recent drains and red brick wall foundations.

Trench 5 (1.22m x 1.18m) was positioned 4.2m west of the convent building and 2.35m north of the street frontage wall within a paved yard area. Here beneath the yard paving and rubble infill deposits lay a narrow north-south stone-capped or culvert drain, 0.56m deep and 0.28m wide. The west wall of the drain was characterised by a stepped (offset) series of stone blocks, two courses high (0.66–0.85m), whilst the eastern side of the drain was formed by an offset of soil/gravel/stone (0.85m) directly below the hard-core fill for the yard paving. The drain was capped by a series of thin stone slabs lying 0.66m below present ground surface and level with the first offset. The drain contained a reddish-brown sand and fine gravel fill which lay on a rough metalled surface of small rounded pebbles forming the drain floor. A mixed rubble deposit formed the infill above the drain (0.05–0.66m depth).

Stage 2
After monitoring the removal of a substantial soil dump from the western side of the convent, two trenches orientated west-east were mechanically excavated within the development footprint. Trench 6 (11m x 1.2m) was positioned c. 2m north of the pavement along The Coombe, and Trench 7 (3m x 1.2m) was positioned approximately 5m further north. No features were revealed in Trench 7, while in Trench 6 a burnt soil containing shells, butchered animal bones and clay pipe and pottery fragments of late 17th/early 18th-century character were revealed at a depth of between 0.8m and 1.2m below ground level. Monitoring of strip and pad foundations along the street frontage revealed recent red brick wall foundations and ceramic drainage pipes, as well as several intermittent spreads of the burnt soil deposit. A pit containing a staved wooden barrel was also found at the western end of the site. The barrel survived in a good state of preservation, measuring 0.5m high with a basal diameter of 0.66m. No finds were recovered from the fill contained within the barrel.

Stage 3
Monitoring of strip and pad foundations on the eastern side of the convent revealed no archaeological soils or features.The fourth stage of monitoring was undertaken over January to February 1998.

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