2015:389 - DUBLIN: Leinster House gates, Kildare Street, Dublin

The site works took place on 19 October 2015 within the cupola of the northern pedestrian gateway. The entire base of the gate was excavated in an area measuring 1.85m north-south by 1.5m by 0.2m in depth. This excavation revealed a hard mass of yellow and light pink mortar, compacted and mixed in with orange brick fragments. These fragments were bright orange in colour but small, 5mm in diameter. Beneath this, a cobbled surface survived in an area measuring approximately 0.8m north-south by 1.2m. On the western side, there was a band of hard mortar, 0.55m in width, with frequent brick inclusions but no cobbles which appeared to have been set up against the cobbles. On the eastern side the cobbles abutted the gate-wall. The cobbles were composed of rounded stones, 80mm in diameter and generally oval in shape, set 2mm apart but also containing irregular-shaped stones. In general, these were orientated north-south and lay 0.3m beneath the present ground level. Further excavation revealed there had been an upper layer of cobbles, represented by four cobbles which were set higher and sealed the earlier cobbles beneath. The main cobbled surface, which produced a small sherd of brownware, was set in a dark brown organic clay that contained cockle shells and was possibly a refuse deposit. The new floor was raised slightly to accommodate the cobbles which were retained in situ