2004:0788 - TRALEE: The Square, Kerry

Monitoring of groundworks associated with the pedestrianisation of The Square in Tralee began in February 2004. Seven trenches were excavated by mechanical excavator throughout The Square to facilitate the laying of pipes, while three additional areas were opened to allow for installation of the bases for street lamps and bollard columns.

A rubble layer was recorded below the surface of The Square. When this was removed, the patchy remains of the original sandstone cobbled surface were recorded throughout the seven trenches. These were generally found at a height of c. 2.05m OD, with Trench 1 also exposing an earlier layer of cobbles at 1.8m OD. Together with these cobblestones were a number of stone-lined culverts with large capstones bonded with clay.

Three separate areas were also recorded on the southern and eastern perimeters of The Square. Remains of the cobbled surface were also recorded in these areas, together with a stone-lined culvert and sections of four walls. In Area 3 the remains of two badly damaged limestone walls were revealed, while the basal layer of limestone walls was recorded in Areas 1 and 2. These walls were between 0.54m and 0.7m wide, constructed of roughly hewn limestone and bonded with clay. They are very similar in character and both were orientated east-west. Although they were not aligned with each other, they are considered contemporary and probably earlier than the 19th-century cobbled surface.