2008:121 - ENNIS: Old Ground Hotel, Main Street (Clonroad Beg), Clare

Two test-trenches were opened on the site of external foundation walls for a bedroom block extension at the Old Ground Hotel. This hotel is located within the zone of archaeological potential for Ennis town. No archaeological remains were found in either test-trench. In both openings the top c. 1m comprised builders’ rubble and debris infill. A dark-brown sandy, slightly silty clay, probably the original garden soil, underlay the rubble infill which extended to the natural deposition at the base of both openings. Earlier OS maps confirmed the area was used as an ornamental garden plot, with a rockery, to the rear of the building (now the hotel) fronting O’Connell Street in the latter part of the 19th century.