2013:576 - MOURNEABBEY, Cork

A further phase of excavation was carried out at the Knights Hospitaller’s preceptory at Mourneabbey. (Previous excavations were reported on in ‘Excavations’ 2001:224, 2002:343, and 2011:118). The 2013 excavation was aimed at tracing the east and south walls of the south transept, and two other adjacent walls previously discovered. The east wall, south-east corner, and much of the south wall of the transept were well preserved below the surface. However the west wall was poorly preserved and the south-west corner had been completely destroyed by burials. At the surviving west end of the south wall a small area of medieval floor tiling was preserved in situ, though in poor condition. Its location suggests the presence of a doorway. The tiles were similar to the many fragments which have been found in the various previous excavations on the site. They conform well to the type Eames and Fanning (1988, 79) refer to as ‘two-colour square tiles’, examples of which are known from several sites in Ireland such as Christ Church and St Patrick’s cathedrals in Dublin and Graiguenamanagh Abbey, Co. Kilkenny. The patterns seem to include animal and bird motifs as well as fleurs-de-lis and rosettes. Of the two walls adjacent to the transept one was found to run south from the transept, then curve to the west, then curve back northwards towards the church, forming a U-shaped enclosure approximately 10m x 10m. The other wall originated outside the graveyard wall and ran towards the south-west corner of the south transept. Unfortunately its junction with the transept had been destroyed by burials so it was not possible to establish a stratigraphic or chronological relationship between the two.

Reference:
Eames, E S and Fanning, T 1988, Irish medieval tiles, Royal Irish Academy, Dublin.