2003:2343 - TRALEE: 117–118 Rock Street, Kerry

Test excavations were carried out at 117–118 Rock Street, Tralee, in advance of the construction of an extension to the existing buildings. Rock Street is located in the north-west quadrant of medieval Tralee and is within the zone of archaeological potential for the town (SMR29–119).

Four cuttings were opened at the site. Trench 1 was located in the rear garden of the site and Trenches 2–4 were located within the fabric of the extant buildings. In Trench 1 the topsoil was excavated to reveal a dark brownish-black layer with inclusions of red brick and ash cinder. Underlying this was a greenish-brown silty layer measuring 0.45m deep, which was most likely the result of flooding. The natural clay subsoil was encountered at a depth of 1.4m. Three modern pits containing glass and construction debris were recorded in this trench. Concrete flooring, construction debris, a mottled darkorange/ black layer with occasional red bricks and a black silt layer were removed from Trenches 2–4. A 19th-century cobbled surface with associated wall was noted in the eastern side of Trench 2 at a depth of 0.24m. The remains of a north–south-oriented limestone wall were uncovered in the eastern side of Trench 4. The wall was constructed of limestone and occasional red brick, bonded with a pink lime mortar. It appeared to have originally formed part of the present 19th-century structure.

3 Canal Place, Tralee