County: Clare Site name: GARRAUN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E1216
Author: Florence M. Hurley
Site type: Kiln - brick
Period/Dating: Modern (AD 1750-AD 2000)
ITM: E 561511m, N 659280m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.683304, -8.569238
The expansion of the campus of the University of Limerick across the River Shannon into County Clare necessitates the construction of a bridge across the river. The university proposes to construct an additional student village, ‘the 4th village’, at Garraun, Co. Clare. Further elements of the campus will be added in the future. The nearest Recorded Monument is the ruins of Plassey Mill, c. 100m north-west of the Limerick portion of the development.
Monitoring of approximately half of the area to be stripped in Garraun, Co. Clare, revealed traces of two brick clamp kilns, both badly disturbed. They appeared as spreads of crushed and broken red brick with a layer of charcoal underneath. Areas of the surrounding soil were reddened and burnt. The larger kiln measured c. 25m by 15m and was close to the present riverbank. The smaller kiln measured c. 7m by 6m and was close to the centre of this side of the site. Only a small number of intact bricks were recovered from the larger kiln.
East of the larger kiln a series of six shallow, linear, cut features was noted. These were c. 35m long and varied from 0.25m to 1.33m wide and from 0.1m to 0.55m deep. They were found only in this area, suggesting that they may be cultivation furrows of post-medieval or modern date. Fragments of brick were included in the fill of these features, sometimes at their base, suggesting that they are of similar date to the kilns, probably the late 18th or early 19th century. The construction of Plassey Mill in 1824 may be a factor in the location of the kilns.
Further monitoring of the construction works for the permanent bridge will take place in 2003.
8 Marina Park, Victoria Road, Cork
