2008:1032 - Elphin, Roscommon

The site of the proposed development is located on the northern edge of the village of Elphin on the Carrick-on-Shannon to Elphin road (R368), Co. Roscommon. The development site consists of the ruined southern wing of the Bishop’s Palace, the former 18th-century residence of the Bishop of Elphin. The Bishop’s Palace is listed in the Elphin Local Area Plan as having been constructed in 1759. This is in keeping with the standing remains of the northern and southern wings and with historical photographs and drawings of the main building, the remains of which are no longer visible on the ground, having been removed after it was destroyed by fire in 1911. The subsurface remains of the main building are preserved on the site of the proposed development. Samuel Lewis (1837) refers to the Bishop’s Palace in his description of Elphin as having been constructed in 1685.
Seven trenches were excavated across the site of the proposed development, focusing on the access/services, the two proposed extensions and the garage. None of the seven excavated trenches revealed any archaeological features, finds or materials. However, Trench 1 clearly revealed the subsurface remains of the main building of the Palace. All trenches measured 1.5m wide and were excavated to depths of between 0.25m and 0.4m. There was no evidence of any archaeological activity within any of the areas investigated through the excavation of test-trenches. While the remains of the main building of the palace are clearly present just below the surface, as revealed in Trench 1, there is no apparent evidence as to the date of its construction and it is unlikely that further archaeological investigation would definitively prove whether the main building was constructed in the 17th or 18th centuries.