2000:0101 - QUIN ABBEY, Quin, Clare

The floodlighting of Quin Abbey necessitated the excavation of a trench for ESB cabling from the Main Street to the graveyard wall and encircling the abbey. Monitoring was undertaken during September/ October 2000. The cabling was laid at a depth of 0.5–0.6m underneath the existing path between the Main Street and the abbey. As this had been excavated previously, it was mainly filled with hardcore. No archaeological material was noted.

The line of the cabling on the south side of the abbey was originally intended to be opened approximately 1–2m out from the graveyard wall, but when disturbed human bone was uncovered the line was changed and the cabling was laid immediately adjacent to the wall at a depth of 0.4m, where there was previous disturbance. The trench to the east and north of the abbey was also dug to a depth of c. 0.4m. Mortared stones, burnt clay, stone rubble, slates and animal bone were noted in the fill.

Five test-trenches were opened on a site at Quin Gardens, where a small visitor centre is proposed. The site will provide access to St Fineen’s church and ultimately, via a new footbridge across the Rine River, to Quin Abbey. The preliminary testing was carried out to ascertain if excavation would be required. Three trenches were dug on the east side of the site and two on the west. Foundations of a recently levelled modern house were uncovered in Trench 1; all other trenches consisted of redeposited rubble covered by topsoil to a depth of 0.6–0.9m. At a depth of c. 0.9m in Trench 3 a light, sandy, brown soil with bone and charcoal was uncovered below the redeposited material. This was unexcavated, and further testing and excavation will be required prior to the development of the site.

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