2001:359 - LUAS LINE A, Dublin (Tallaght–Middle Abbey Street), Dublin

Unlicensed monitoring along the 14km route of Line A (Tallaght to Middle Abbey Street) of the proposed light rail system has been ongoing since the earliest works were opened in 1997. Occasionally this has resulted in licensed excavation, such as that at Ballymount Great by Malachy Conway (Excavations 1997, No. 79, 97E0316), and by John Ó Néill (Excavations 2000, No. 205, 00E0538), and more recently at Tram Street/Phoenix Street North by Franc Myles (see Excavations 2001, No. 416). With the commencement of construction work proper in the summer of 2000, a licence was issued so that an archaeologist would be present at all stages of the construction and demolition works connected with the track and associated utilities. It was found that in most urban areas existing services trenches had removed any archaeological deposits that may have been present.

Monitoring at the eastern end of Benburb Street at Croppy’s Acre in April and May confirmed the pre-quay position of the north bank of the Liffey. The bedrock at this point lies close to the surface and a steep edge filled with river silts was evident in a services trench.

Monitoring of services diversions on Phoenix Street North in May resulted in the recording of a large medieval cesspit or series of cesspits. This accords with the documentary sources, which suggest that in the 15th century the area was one of the town’s designated dumping-sites. In 1468 it was ordered that ‘ne persones cast ne ley noo dunke [dung] at noo gatte [Newgate] ne in none other place of the citte, but oonly withoute Hankmans ys lane [Hangman Lane], in the holles and pittes there’ (Gilbert 1889–1944, i, 329). Several sherds of medieval pottery were recorded from the trench fill and a large cattle horn was recovered. The pits have survived underneath the street but appear to have been removed by later building behind the street frontages.

Monitoring of services diversions along James’s Street recorded the foundations of masonry structures which would appear to date from the early 18th century. They were recorded on the street front immediately to the north of the proposed James’s Hospital LUAS stop. They have been identified on Rocque’s map (1756) and on subsequent early editions of the Ordnance Survey, and consist of walls of roughly coursed calp limestone rubble.

Works along Abbey Street, Mary’s Abbey and Chancery Street were monitored throughout August, September and October. In September, a large dump deposit of black organic material containing marine shell, animal bone and earthenware roof tiles was recorded at the corner of Liffey Street Lower and Abbey Street. The material was located at 1.5m below the level of the modern street and was at least 2m in thickness. It would appear that this material was dumped here deliberately to reclaim the slob lands above the high-water mark in the latter half of the 17th century.

More recent demolition work in the area was monitored in November and December.

Basements belonging to Nos 21–23 and 150–151 Capel Street were previously found to have truncated the natural subsoil and thus any archaeological deposits that might have survived above it.

Monitoring at Ballymount Great over the autumn and winter concentrated in the area of the post-medieval manor-house complex and the prehistoric mound and enclosure (SMR 21:15). Monitoring in the area of the 17th-century gatehouse resulted in an excavation (see Excavations 2001, No. 328). The foundation level of a masonry wall left in situ, linking two of the buildings within the manor complex, was deemed to be in conflict with the track formation level. The ground on either side of the wall had been archaeologically excavated to natural subsoil, leaving the wall and its foundation trench intact. The wall was removed mechanically under archaeological supervision and its profile and foundation trench recorded. Between 0.28m and 0.3m of masonry remained in the foundation trench, the fill of which contained fragments of red brick, lime mortar and charcoal within a silty clay soil matrix. The wall was constructed from a footing approximately 0.7m in thickness. It narrowed to 0.5m at ground level, from where it maintained a height of 0.48m. On the basis of the fill of the foundation trench, it would appear unlikely that the wall related to the post-medieval period of settlement on the site. It was probably constructed in the late 18th or early 19th century as part of the farmyard.

Line A extends along that section of the Grand Canal in Rialto that was backfilled in the 1970s and subsequently utilised as a linear park. Material removed for the LUAS has consisted of introduced soil, which probably originated from a dump. In November five pikeheads and other metal artefacts were recovered from the area under the canal bridge in Rialto. A quantity of late 19th- and 20th-century clay pipe fragments was recovered from the same spot, which appeared to be the fill of the old canal.

The section of the Grand Canal at Rialto was opened to traffic in August 1780. The original bridge at Rialto was narrower than the existing one (constructed in the 1930s) and the surviving abutments would suggest that it occupied its eastern half. On examining the find site it was obvious that the artefacts came from a grey layer of silty clay that was immediately over a layer of black silt. Track formation levels are being excavated at a lower level under the bridge to avoid conflicting with the level of the soffit. As this section of the canal saw continuous use by Guinness barges until 1960, it was subject to regular dredging and it appears likely that the deposit of silty clay containing the artefacts was left undisturbed.

The artefacts would therefore appear to have been deposited in the canal, possibly over the western parapet of the original bridge. There are two obvious historical events that may be connected with the deposition of the objects. While the major actions of the 1798 rebellion took place outside Dublin, the capital was nonetheless central to the organisation of the rebellion, although the rising in the city was thwarted by the arrest of most of the members of the Dublin Directory of the United Irishmen. The objects are thus more likely to be connected with Robert Emmet’s rebellion of 1803, when weapons and explosives are recorded as being manufactured in the city. The spectacular failure of the putsch led to the rout of the rebels and the dumping of arms. The fact that the events took place in the Liberties, adjacent to Rialto, would lend weight to the assertion that they date from this period. The prospect of ten years’ penal servitude per weapon may well have convinced the owner to deposit them in the canal.

The artefacts were recovered in a corroded state but retained their sharp points. The hoard consists of five simple socketed pikeheads, broadly similar in construction, three with central midribs. There was no evidence for the hooks usually illustrated in depictions of the rebellion. There are fragments of ash surviving in all of the sockets. An iron plaque was recovered with the pikeheads, but is probably unconnected. The pikeheads and plaque are currently undergoing conservation in Archcon Laboratories.

Reference
Gilbert, J.T. 1889–1944 Calendar of ancient records of Dublin, in the possession of the municipal corporation of that city. Dublin.

2 Killiney View, Albert Road Lower, Glenageary, Co. Dublin