County: Limerick Site name: LIMERICK: Gerald Griffin Street Lower
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 5:17 Licence number: 03E01740
Author: Mary Henry, Mary Henry Archaeological Services Ltd.
Site type: Historic town
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 558037m, N 656984m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.662417, -8.620311
Pre-construction testing was undertaken on the site of a proposed development at Lower Gerald Griffin Street, in Limerick city centre. Three trenches were opened on the part of the site that is presently vacant.
The upper layers of stratigraphy suggested a considerable amount of demolition and levelling, followed by at least two phases of carpark construction. Two pits were revealed. Evidence gained from one of the pits, in the form of pot and pipe, strongly pointed to a post-medieval provenance. Regarding the second pit, found in Trench 1, no dating evidence was retrieved, although, considering its sequential location (in a probably truncated layer immediately below the sand), a post-medieval date is also attributed to this feature. The layer of sand was part of the building up of the site for a carpark. One fill was identified in the pit, which comprised a compact rubble and dark silty grey clay mix.
Considering the location of the site within medieval Irishtown, the discovery of contemporary occupation layers and foundations would not have been surprising. No evidence of medieval activity was discovered, although post-medieval deposits were encountered. Study of the first-edition OS map reveals that the two areas tested were devoid of structures. It is possible that both these areas have been utilised as some form of open ground - either garden or yard. Unfortunately the removal of the upper layers to facilitate the carpark construction has destroyed all evidence of sequential deposition.
17 Staunton Row, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary
