County: Dublin Site name: Church of the Immaculate Conception, 4-8 Merchants’ Quay
Sites and Monuments Record No.: 018:020 (465), 018:020 (210, 211, 105 and -931) Licence number: 13E0159
Author: Melanie McQuade
Site type: Post-medieval remains
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 714997m, N 734096m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.344579, -6.272959
The site is located on the corner of Merchant’s Quay and Winetavern Street. It is bounded by the Liffey to the north, by Cook Street to the south, and incorporates Rosemary Lane and Chapel Yard. There are five sites listed within the friary complex; a Mass House, sites of medieval houses and the site of an inn.
The excavation of service trenches in the courtyard area, running in front of the rotunda to the Mechanical Plant Room, was monitored. The main trench was c.32m long, between 0.72m and 1.10m wide and up to 0.73m deep. An adjoining trench extended westwards for 2.55m.
Three post-medieval masonry wall foundations [001], [002] and [003] were uncovered within 4m of each other in the southern extent of the trench. The northern end of the trench exposed multiple services. Wall [001] was orientated east-west. Wall [002] was uncovered 1m to the north and was the northeast corner of a structure. Only a small stretch of Wall [003] was exposed but it appeared to be running east-west.
The walls were located to the west of Rosemary Lane. Structures are shown at this location on Rocque’s map and on the early edition OS maps, indicating that the remains probably date from the 18th/19th century. The buildings were demolished by the time the 1909 edition OS map was published.
ADS Ltd., Unit 4 The Print House, 22-23 South Cumberland Street, Dublin 2
