County: Kerry Site name: TRALEE: Abbey Court
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E1311
Author: Laurence Dunne, Eachtra Archaeological Projects
Site type: Tannery, Mill - unclassified and Architectural fragment
Period/Dating: Post Medieval (AD 1600-AD 1750)
ITM: E 483491m, N 614341m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.268412, -9.707044
Monitoring and testing were undertaken associated with renovations to the former Tesco at Abbey Court in Tralee, within the zone of archaeological potential of Tralee (SMR 29:119) and near the site of the medieval Dominican friary. Six trenches were excavated relating to a series of external modifications to the site. Four proved archaeo-logically negative.
The terminal basal remains of a drystone wall, measuring 1.95m by 1.2m by 0.3m high, comprising a single course, was uncovered in Trench 5 (4m by 2m) at the northern side of the property. The stone was roughly dressed on one face only and was bonded with clay. No dating evidence or artefacts were recovered. Very little can be determined about this wall; however, its width and location at the interface of the Great Castle of Tralee and the Dominican friary property possibly indicates a medieval origin.
Trench 6, the largest excavated on the site, measured 30m by 1m and was 1.5–2m deep. A complex of modern walls of tannery tanks and other possible mill or tannery walls cut the trench at intervals. A mill known as St Dominic’s Mill and owned by the Donovan family had been situated on the site and was replaced by a tannery. Numerous fragments of leather were uncovered in the upper fill, and a few dressed limestone masonry fragments relating to the modern structures were also recovered.
3 Canal Place, Tralee, Co. Kerry
