2006:916 - TRALEE: Dominic Street, Kerry

Excavations were undertaken in advance of construction of three commercial ground-floor units and one townhouse at Dominic Street, Tralee. The proposed development site abuts the site of the Dominican Abbey of the Holy Cross within the zone of archaeological potential of the medieval town of Tralee.

The upper levels excavated at the site comprised 19th-century overburden that was on average 0.8m deep below present ground level. Basal foundation courses of several limestone rubble structures were encountered beneath the overburden. These structures, supported by cartographic and artefactual evidence, have been resolved as representing the 19th-century townhouses that once extended along the southern side of Dominic Street, which was previously known as Pie Lane.

The 19th-century structural remains lay on top of, and truncated, a substantial 17th-century cultural layer (C9) that was recorded across the site at a thickness of 0.8–1.1m. It comprised a dark-blackish-brown organic silty clay that included frequent animal bone, oyster shells, clay-pipe fragments, glass shards, etc. A moderate assemblage of pottery was recovered from C9, most of which were 17th-century in date, primarily North Devon gravel-tempered wares, although Raeren and Lowland wares were also recovered.

Several 17th-century wall foundations and cobbled surfaces were recorded beneath layer C9. These contexts also produced artefactual evidence confirming a 17th-century date for the site. Where the layer C9 was not found overlying archaeological deposits, it overlay the natural orange clay subsoil.

A possible wooden jetty (C26) extended eastwards from one of the walls delimiting the western extent of the 17th-century foundations. C26 comprised 41 pointed timber posts that varied in morphology from squared worked timbers to roundwood. The timbers were recorded within the organic layer C9, with the pointed ends driven into the underlying subsoil. A perforated mooring stone had been previously discovered at the site in test excavations in 2005 (Excavations 2005, No. 713).

Three burials were encountered during the excavations. All were supine, extended east–west inhumations, with Burials 2 and 3 found in the extreme north-west of the site in the interface between layer C9 and the subsoil. Burials 2 and 3 were truncated and in an extremely poor state of preservation. Burial 2 was the northernmost, with Burial 3 located c. 2m to the south. Burial 1 was the best preserved of the three and was situated c. 3m east of Burial 3. Burial 1 was truncated by the possible timber jetty (C26). Three of the timbers had effectively ‘speared’ the burial through the right clavicle, the right area of the pelvis and the right tibia/fibula respectively. Although Burial 1 was originally fully extended, the timber driven through the lower leg had pushed both legs to one side, giving the impression of a slightly flexed inhumation. No grave-cuts were apparent for any of the three burials.

The preliminary results at Dominic Street effectively represent the first season of the overall excavation that will extend into the Abbey Street area. Post-excavation analysis relating to the excavations at Dominic Street is ongoing.

3 Lios na Lohart, Ballyvelly, Tralee, Co. Kerry