2009:543 - ST CATHERINE D’CONYL, OLD ABBEY, Limerick

This summary relates to the second season of excavations at Old Abbey, run in association with the Department of Archaeology, UCC, as its third-year training excavation (see Excavations 2008, No. 796). Five trenches were excavated during this season and were numbered in sequence from season one. Two of these trenches (Trenches 7 and 9) tested anomalies located during a geophysical survey of a portion of a field to the north of the nunnery complex, known as the Orchard Field.
Trench 5 was located in the cloister of the nunnery and measured 5m north–south by 4m. The cloister ambulatory was found, which was delimited by a cloister garth wall measuring almost 1.2m in width and composed of limestone rubble. Human remains of adults and a child were located in the cloister ambulatory. The cloister garth was filled with several deposits of a loam, which were interpreted as a garden soil. These deposits overlay a stony layer, which was interpreted as a deliberate attempt to provide drainage in this area.
Trench 6 was located outside the nunnery complex at the junction of the west end of the church and the northern wall of the cloister. It was located at this point due to the fact that the cloister wall at this point had a large blocked ope and the remains of a wall, which was previously interpreted as a buttress. Several late dump deposits were located here and the buttress was confirmed as an earlier medieval wall relating to the nunnery complex. A mortar floor was also revealed. A short section revealing the foundation cut for the church’s northern wall was also recorded. Five burials were excavated, four of which were interpreted in the field as being post-nunnery in date. The final burial, which was probably female, was cut into the mortar floor at much greater depth than the others and was likely to be medieval in date.
Trench 7 was located across a geophysical anomaly in the field to the north of the nunnery church. This measured 3m east–west by 1m. The feature was revealed as stony fill of a large cut and was interpreted as being a later post-nunnery sump or drainage feature.
Trench 8 was located in the kitchen area of the nunnery. It measured 9m east–west by 2m. There was much disturbance in this area due to the presence of mature trees. A foundation cut and lower foundation courses of the western wall of the kitchen were revealed. The floor surface of the interior of the kitchen was also found, comprising small deposits of clayey ^make-up’ material, and it was determined that the floor surface was an earthen floor. No evidence of tiles, etc., was found.
Trench 9 was located across a geophysical anomaly in the field to the north of the nunnery. It measured 2m•. Like Trench 7, this was revealed as a stony layer, possibly a pathway, relating to post-nunnery activity.
Finds included some post-medieval and early modern artefacts relating to later use of the site. Some medieval local and imported pottery wares were found, along with animal bone and an architectural fragment, from a corbel in the nunnery cloister.
As part of these investigations, a full building survey was undertaken. A number of medieval ex situ architectural fragments were recorded, including a triangular mason’s mark. Of particular interest was a ship incised on a layer of plaster at the western end of the southern wall of the nunnery church. The ship has been described as being of the Scandinavian or clinker-built tradition, which would have been in use when the nunnery was occupied (K. Brady, pers. comm.). This is the first nunnery site in Ireland to exhibit a ship in plaster (Brady and Corlett 2007).
Reference
Brady, K. and C. Corlett, C 2007 Ships on plaster: evidence for ships in medieval Ireland. In C. Manning (ed.), From ringforts to fortified houses studies on castles and other monuments in honour of David Sweetman, 309–334. Wordwell, Bray.