2004:1022 - RIVER SHANNON, Limerick Main Drainage, Limerick, Limerick

Monitoring was carried out of the construction of a sewer built across the River Shannon north of Shannon Bridge and to the south of Sarsfield Lock within Limerick city. The monitoring followed on from a programme of geophysical survey of the river crossing carried out by MAU Archaeology in 1998, and an underwater assessment of the site was completed by ADCO (Archaeological Diving Company) on 19 September 2001. On foot of the assessment by ADCO, Niall Brady investigated the site (Excavations 2001, No. 781, 01E0930); these works included establishing the context and association of the archaeological material on the riverbed and widening the search corridor around the area to be affected by the construction of the pipeline. This established that the riverbed was largely bedrock and items on the surface (an anchor and timber) were removed prior to construction being completed. A back hoe dredger with the attendance of hopper barges was used to excavate riverbed deposits; given that the riverbed was largely bedrock this involved blasting in advance of excavation. No archaeological finds were identified. Monitoring concentrated on the margins of the river, where accumulations of silts and gravel occurred, but no archaeological finds were noted.

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