County: Clare Site name: Clonroad Beg, Ennis
Sites and Monuments Record No.: CL033-0801—Religious House (Franciscan Friary) Licence number: C172
Author: Frank Coyne
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 533952m, N 677745m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.846582, -8.980494
The excavation of seventeen test trenches at ‘The Cloister’, Abbeybridge, was carried out on 29 and 30 August 2012, in advance of the proposed construction of a car park. It is situated immediately to the east and north-east of the Franciscan friary, in the area of a walled garden, which is now an overgrown orchard and gravelled car park, and also an area of land to the west of Cusack Park Gaelic Grounds, now heavily overgrown with trees and scrub.
The walled garden is shown on the OS 1st Edition map as a formal garden. The walled garden had previously been partially test trenched by Anne Connolly in 1998 (Excavations 1998, No. 38, 98E0028). No archaeological features were noted at that time. Five trenches were opened in the garden area during the current phase of test trenching, varying in length between 9m and 25m. All were 1.2m wide. The topsoil across the orchard/garden area varied in depth from 0.4m to a maximum of 0.7m. This overlay yellow-brown boulder clay. No archaeological features were noted in any of the trenches. A paved path was noted in Trench 5, and is probably of late 19th-century date. The area closest to the abbey was not tested due to the proximity of a large tree. It may be possible to test this area in the future, if the tree is removed.
The area to the west of Cusack Park is covered in mature trees. Because of the density of trees on the site, it was necessary to excavate smaller trenches. A total of 12 trenches were opened at this location. The southern and middle portions of the site were found to contain a large amount of modern fill, averaging 1.8-2m in depth across this area. This fill comprised builders’ rubble, and a large amount of rusted car bodies and various other fragments of metal sheeting. Iron car wheels noted in the trenches would suggest that these cars date from the mid 20th century. These appear to have been dumped first on the site, with the builders’ rubble dumped on top of them. No date was ascertained for the dumping on site, but it is probably after the 1940’s or 1950’s.
The northern portion of this area did not contain any fill. Topsoil in this area was very shallow, averaging 0.15m in depth. Removal of this exposed a yellow-brown boulder clay.
No archaeological features were noted or artefacts recovered.
Aegis Archaeology Ltd, 32 Nicholas Street, King’s Island, Limerick
