County: Dublin Site name: DUBLIN: Croppies Acre, Benburb Street
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 18:020447 Licence number: 98E0268
Author: Rónán Swan, Arch-Tech Ltd.
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 713996m, N 734420m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.347706, -6.287875
Testing was undertaken, on behalf of the Office of Public Works, to determine the impact that the groundworks associated with the proposed 1798 Commemorative Park at this site would have on any surviving remains, in particular on the documented mass burial-ground.
It is a commonly held tradition that in the aftermath of the 1798 rebellion courts martial were held at the Royal Barracks (now Collins Barracks) and that those who were subsequently executed were buried in an unmarked burial pit in what was to later become known as the Croppies Acre. There are two 19th-century accounts purporting to show the precise location of the Croppies Acre; these accounts were written at least 40 years after the executions took place.
In view of the sensitive nature of the site all cuttings were hand-excavated. Twelve test-pits measuring 2m x 2m were opened. The stratigraphy revealed in the test-pits was consistent, showing three distinct phases of activity. Phase I contained layers associated with the playing fields and the public park of the Esplanade. Phase II was layers associated with the levelling of previous buildings, the use of the area as a dump and the construction of the quay. Phase III contained organic/riverine deposits, identified at the base of all cuttings. These formed most likely because of flooding from the River Liffey.
There is no archaeological evidence to support the contention that the mass burial is within the area tested.
32 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2
