County: Dublin Site name: SANDYMOUNT STRAND AND MERRION STRAND
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 01E0426, 01R0039
Author: Niall Gregory, for Babtie Group.
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 715935m, N 734444m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.347498, -6.258764
ESB Engineering Ltd undertook the installation of 220Kv underground cables on Merrion and Sandymount strands as part of the Carrickmines to Shellybanks and Irishtown scheme. Groundwork excavation in advance of cable-laying within the intertidal zones of Sandymount and Merrion strands was monitored between 9 May and 12 July 2001. Cable trench excavation measured 1260m in overall length.
The groundworks involved the machine excavation (with a 15-ton track excavator) of a 2.4–4m-wide trench that tapered vertically to a basal width of c. 2m. The trench measured 1.8–2.2m in depth. Tidal considerations necessitated that the trench excavation, concrete-pouring and pipe-laying were conducted within approximately five-hour periods during low tide. Trench-digging generally took place within the first two hours and installation of the cables and backfilling composed the remainder. The length of trench excavation varied between 24m and 48m each day, depending on tidal conditions and the solidity of the ground into which the machine was excavating. Resumption of the work from the previous occasion’s pipe-laying consisted of digging a 10–14m2 area to relocate the sealed pipe ends before the trench excavation could continue.
The Sandymount section of the works extended north-eastwards from 10m south of the northern end of Strand Road carpark, across the intertidal zone on the western side of Irishtown Nature Reserve. The monitoring requirement for this section of the works was conducted between 9 May and 21 June 2001. The Merrion Strand section of the works extended southwards from the southern end of Strand Road carpark, across the intertidal zone, and circumnavigated a row of residential buildings to the west, from which it terminated 55m to the south of Merrion Gates. The monitoring requirement for this section of the works was conducted between 2 and 11 July 2001.
No structures, shipwrecks or artefacts of an archaeological or historical nature were encountered.
7 Roselawn Close, Cashel, Co. Tipperary
