County: Dublin Site name: KILMAINHAM: Royal Hospital
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 99E0711
Author: Ruth Elliott, for Judith Carroll & Co. Ltd.
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 713198m, N 733869m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.342929, -6.300049
Monitoring was conducted in the courtyard of the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, between 27 September and 27 October 2000. The courtyard was to be resurfaced with cobbles, with a new surface-water drainage system installed. This necessitated the excavation of pipe-trenches up to 1.8m deep.
The site of the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham (1680), is within an archaeologically sensitive area, activity having been continuous there from the 6th or 7th centuries onwards. There has been much speculation as to the original location of the early monastic settlement of St Maignenn and the later ecclesiastical establishment of the Knights Hospitallers (1174–1541). The former is most likely to have been situated in the area of Bully’s Acre, west of the site.
Paving material post-dating 1680 was revealed during excavation of trenches within the courtyard. This consisted of two components, a white, highly indurated, stony material with an aggregate of either chalk or lime, and compacted red brick. These were found independently or interleaved with depths of up to 0.35m at 49.36m OD. Cutting this were two culverts crossing the central axes of the courtyard. These were constructed of red brick, lining a channel 0.3m wide and covered with flagstones. No archaeological deposits or features were uncovered.
Top Mews, 23 Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 4
