1998:270 - DINGLE: The Canon's Garden, Green Street, Kerry

Monitoring of the site of a proposed housing unit for the elderly on Green Street, Dingle, began on 18 May, and continued intermittently until the beginning of July. The name 'The Canon's Garden' derives from the site's use as a garden for some time, and it was still undeveloped when the present work commenced. The site measures 40m north-east/south-west x 20m and lies within the area of archaeological potential for Dingle town. It was possible that the line of the town wall had extended onto the site, which is bounded by the grounds of the Presentation Convent/Díseart to the north-west (in property possibly occupied by the Sisters since 1829) and by an 18th-century building to the north-east. St Mary's Catholic Church (commenced 1812) is to the south-west. The site is shown as open ground on both editions of the 6-inch map, but the extreme south-western portion is shown on the 1st edition as containing part of a girls' national school. The site originally sloped very steeply to both the south-east and south-west.

The boundary with the street consists of a high stone wall, neatly faced externally, but internally the lower c. 1.3m is quite rough. This is consistent with it not being visible while the area was used as a garden. This wall was to be retained in the new development, apart from the entrance area, but its poor condition meant that it had to be taken down and rebuilt for much of its length. This was not necessary for the south-western stretch, however, where it may incorporate part of the town wall.

Clearance work began before an archaeologist was contacted, but some of the initial soil removal, to bring the ground down to present street level (it having been on average 1.7m above it before work commenced) was monitored and nothing of archaeological significance noted. In an area where soil removal had not been monitored, along the north-eastern boundary of the site, were some layers of possible interest in the eastern end, running for a length of 4.9m from the street front, where two stony layers not noted elsewhere were seen in section. Their rough nature was not consistent with a structure, although it is possible that they are the remains of a demolition layer.

Further south within the site the amount of soil removed was less, consistent with the downhill slope of the land. Here, only c. 1m of soil was removed, particularly in the area adjacent to the street front.

After the site was cleared down to present street level an obvious change in wall construction in the area where it might be expected that the town wall would be present was noted, and some stones of a long-demolished wall protruded inwards from the street wall, up to 1.3m above cleared ground level. A change in structure is also visible on the external (street) face of the wall. On cleaning the loose soil at the base of this feature, a line of stones was noted. It was 1.15m wide, and was exposed for a length of only 0.6m max. As this was consistent with the probable location of the town wall, investigations ceased as an excavation licence had not been obtained for this work, which was only intended as monitoring.

The original intention of the architect had been to dig foundation trenches in the area of this newly discovered wall, which would have destroyed it. On the recommendation of Dúchas, plans were redrawn so that the building could proceed without any further excavation having to take place in that area and the wall would remain undisturbed. The area around it was to be covered with hard-core, with a terram protection for the actual wall. Archaeological excavation of the area was therefore no longer necessary, but the exposed portion of the wall was cleaned, photographed and drawn, before it was again covered.

It is impossible to say how much deeper the wall remains, nor could one be sure how much of it remains underground crossing the site-it certainly did not seem to be present at the north-western boundary wall, although it was possible to make out where it should have been. Here again the site had been cleared to well below natural, and, with the confusion of walls in this area, it was difficult to say which, if any, may have been town wall.

Monitoring of foundation digging in the south-western portion of the site took place on 2 July. The maximum depth of foundations was 0.5m below the previously cleared (street) level. In some areas the natural was exposed, otherwise, particularly in the extreme south-western (downhill) portion of the site, a dark brown soil was present, similar to that removed already from the site. Three sherds of pottery, two of medieval date, were found in the soil or lying on the already cleared surface.

There was no evidence of the town wall being present at this level in any of the foundation trenches dug at the north-western end of the site.

Also noted on the site was a lintelled drain, 0.8m to the south-west (outside) of the town wall and running in line with it. Its line could be followed for at least 2.6m from the street into the site. It was at least 0.32m deep, but may have silted up, and was 0.55–0.6m wide. It may have been part of an already known, probably 19th-century, culvert system.

Glen Fahan, Ventry, Tralee, Co. Kerry