2002:0511 - DRUMCONDRA: All Hallows College, Grace Park Road, Dublin

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Dublin Site name: DRUMCONDRA: All Hallows College, Grace Park Road

Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E0588

Author: E. Eoin Sullivan, on behalf of ADS Ltd.

Site type: No archaeology found

Period/Dating: N/A

ITM: E 716425m, N 737325m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.373275, -6.250336

Two test-trenches were mechanically excavated as part of pre-development testing in May 2002 within the footprint of a proposed extension to the library. The site is in the vicinity of several sites mentioned in the Record of Monuments and Places, the oldest being a small medieval church site south of the proposed new library building.

The northern half of the site was c. 0.4m higher than the southern half, which contained several services and was found to have been scarped in the past, possibly associated with the construction of the examinations hall (Aula Maxima), which is perpendicular to the existing library.

Trench 1 was parallel to the east–west-running wall that originally formed part of a row of outbuildings attached to the main college complex. The trench was 26m long and revealed topsoil with small spreads of mortar and modern ceramics, overlying a loose, disturbed fill (0.3–1.1m) containing modern ceramics (willow pattern), patches of red brick, occasional clay-pipe fragments and modern glass bottles. Trench 2 was 7.5m to the south of Trench 1 and parallel to it. It was 15m long and revealed topsoil directly overlying natural boulder clay. No features of archaeological significance were encountered during the excavation.

Windsor House, 11 Fairview Strand, Fairview, Dublin 3