County: Dublin Site name: SMITHFIELD: Phoenix Street/Stable Lane
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 98E0398
Author: Una Cosgrave, Archaeological Development Services Ltd.
Site type: Historic town
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 714676m, N 734341m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.346850, -6.277698
Eoin Halpin carried out pre-development testing on this site in September 1998. Organic deposits of possibly medieval date were identified under post-medieval deposits.
This writer commenced excavation on the site in November 1998, and work is ongoing. Four areas (8m x 8m, 11m x 24m, 6m x 11m and 15m x 8m) representing c. 48% of the site are currently being resolved. The archaeological material is being predominantly hand-excavated but where practical is being machine-excavated. A metal-detector has scanned all possible medieval soils, at the request of the National Museum.
To date, a series of medieval and post-medieval ditches has been identified underlying post-medieval industrial activity. Two post-medieval wells have also been identified, and a post-and-wattle fence has been noted within one of the medieval ditches.
The post-medieval finds include pottery, tiles, clay pipes and coins. The finds of possibly medieval date recovered include fabrics, leather, pottery, coins, nails, floor tiles, shroud-pins, a silver finger-ring and a possible silver ingot.
Windsor House, 11 Fairview Strand, Fairview, Dublin 3
