1998:449 - DUNDALK: AIB Bank, 96 Clanbrassil Street, Louth

This site lies at the southern end of Clanbrassil Street, in close proximity to the area of Warren's Gate at the edge of the medieval town, but with the expansion of the town during the 17th century the area would have become part of the core of Dundalk.

Testing was undertaken at this site in October 1998, followed by an excavation in January 1999. During the testing programme a layer of cobbles had been identified at the base of the cuttings (25.9m OD). However, no artefacts were recovered that could date this layer. An excavation was undertaken to determine the nature of this cobbled layer. Owing to safety requirements and a modification in the layout of the building, an area 4m x 8m was available for excavation.

Once the overburden had been removed the cobbled layer was shown to extend across the entire area, from which five sherds of medieval pottery were recovered. However, the layer had been extensively damaged by modern drains and pipes. The cobbled layer was cut into a compact, blue-grey clay, which appears to be the original marl deposit.

This cobbled layer also overlay three features cut into the natural marl: a semicircular pit, a linear trench and a shallow pit. These features were filled with a pink/brown clay with a mottled, black mix. They also had a high proportion of organic material, which includes fragments of wood and occasional pieces of shell.

32 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2