County: Dublin Site name: DUBLIN: Molyneux Yard, Thomas Street
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 03E0568
Author: Dermot Nelis, IAC Ltd.
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 714676m, N 733801m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.342000, -6.277893
Molyneux Yard is located immediately to the south of Thomas Street, Dublin 8. The proposed development would consist of the construction of a three-storey building incorporating two retail units at ground-floor level with four apartments on the first and second floors. Construction would involve the excavation of piles and ground-beams to a maximum depth of 1.2m. At the time of testing there was a modern block-and-galvanised building of 1970s construction used as horse stables, and this building would be demolished to make way for the proposed development.
The site falls within the zone of archaeological potential for Dublin city, as identified by Dublin City Council, and is afforded protection through the Dublin City 1999 Development Plan. It lay outside the medieval walled town of Dublin. Thomas Street (immediately north of the proposed development site) was an important medieval thoroughfare, thought to be sited on the line of Slighe Mór, the great early historical routeway to the west. The routeway is located on the spine of a natural ridge and extends in an east–west direction into the old walled town, via the Newgate.
Testing took place on 25 April 2003 using a JCB. Two north–south trenches were excavated. Testing revealed a layer of concrete sealing stratigraphy relating to the modern period only in both trenches. A red-brick dump layer, sealed by the concrete layer, sealed a layer containing fragments of clay pipe, red brick and large pieces of thick green glass.
No archaeological features or finds were revealed, with modern finds being recovered at the base of the two test-trenches.
8 Dungar Terrace, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
