County: Limerick Site name: LIIMERICK: Brennan's Row, John's Square
Sites and Monuments Record No.: LI005-017 Licence number: 04E1065
Author: Brian Halpin, National Archaeological Services
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Post Medieval (AD 1600-AD 1750)
ITM: E 558195m, N 657007m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.662638, -8.617978
Testing was carried out on 29 and 30 July 2004. The proposed development, located in the historic town of Limerick and believed to be adjacent to the medieval city walls, will consist of three dwellings and two apartments with associated car parking.
Four trenches were dug, using a 1m-wide toothless bucket, from the topsoil down through a large deposit of post medieval/modern overburden containing large amounts of building debris, burnt wood, brick, car parts, beer cans and bottles and general refuse (max. depth 2.1m). At the base of this overburden, post-medieval features were encountered and further extraction of the trenches was halted.
A complete recording of Trenches 2 and 3 was not possible, due to the unstable nature of the overburden walls. During the testing process sections of these walls collapsed into the trench and further recording was discontinued due to health-and-safety concerns.
Trench 1 was 26.5m in length by 1m in width by 1.7m in depth. The base of this trench consisted of four separate contexts, which produced finds of post-medieval pottery, clam shells, frequent charcoal flecks and burnt bone and may be the remains of post-medieval refuse pits. The remains of a post-medieval stone field boundary wall were also encountered at the southern area of this trench.
Trench 2 was 26.5m in length by 1m in width by 2.1m in depth. The base of this trench consisted of similar features and finds to those observed in Trench 1. This trench could not be fully recorded due to health-and-safety concerns.
Trench 3 was 7.3m in length by 1m in width by c. 2m in depth. The walls of this trench partially collapsed during excavation and a full recording of the base was not possible. A section of wall was encountered in this trench at its westernmost end. It measured 1.2m in depth by 0.6m in width and was lined with rough cut stone and a greyish-white mortar with occasional flecks of red brick throughout. It was sitting on a rough platform, which is believed to be a post-medieval field boundary.
Trench 4 was 10m in length by 1m in width by 1.9m in depth. The base of this trench consisted of similar features and finds observed in Trench 1, although a pipe stem was also recovered.
During the course of testing, features of a post-medieval nature were encountered. They may be the upper layer of post-medieval activity overlying possible medieval features beneath.
Ard Solas, Lacken, Co. Wicklow
