2014:063 - General Post Office, O'Connell Street Lower, Dublin 1, Dublin

The site was within the GPO complex on O’Connell street. This had been originally developed as houses in the 1700s and then redeveloped as GPO in the 1814. Planning permission has been granted for a new single storey building in the eastern courtyard, with changes to the surrounding buildings.
the site is shown on Bernard de Gomme’s map of 1673 as a green area to the east of the ‘Abbey Parke’, or lands belong to St Mary’s Abbey. There is no prehistoric or medieval archaeology or history relating to the site apart from the fact that the lands were relatively close to those of the medieval Cistercian house and lands of St Mary’s Abbey. There are two recorded monuments directly to the north of the GPO: the buildings at nos 14-17 Moore Street which date from the mid-18th century (DU018-390) and a brickworks (DU018-020506). Until the 17th century, when it was reclaimed from the Liffey, the south area of O’Connell Street just below Abbey Street would have been under water or intertidal. The area was developed by Henry Moore, Earl of Drogheda who laid out the first streets in the late 17th century. From 1777 the planning body in the city, the Wide Streets Commission, changed the layout of some of the streets including what is now O’Connell Street which took place between 1785 and 1790. Construction on the new purpose-built post-office, the GPO, began in 1814 and it was opened in 1818. Since that time there have been several redevelopments, including near total destruction as result of the shelling of the building during the Rising of 1916.

The development consisted of the demolition and clearance of the raised area in the centre of the courtyard as well as the surrounding ground slab. Demolition also occurred in both the north and south corridors of C wing and one room of D wing. New foundations and services including sewerage and radon drains were excavated cut into the exposed natural soils levels.

Upon removal of modern concrete slabs and floor levels various layers of hardcore and other levelling compounds were found throughout the site. Below this was a natural riverine sediment of gravels and rolled cobbles. There cobbles were larger and in greater concentration to the south of the site, closer to the river.
Several post-medieval drainage features such as a water management tank, a brick-built drain and a soakage pit were discovered. Each of these features held deposits within which the majority of artefacts were discovered. Several floor levels and foundation courses of wall were also found throughout the site. In the centre of the courtyard a rectilinear brick structure of indeterminate function came to light. No finds or features of medieval or earlier date came to light.

Ballybrack Road, Glencullen, Dublin 18.