2015:602 - Cook Street, Dublin 8, Dublin

In 2015 Dublin City Council planned to upgrade and replace existing but defunct flood-lights located along the southern side of Cook Street, which originally lit up the extant section of the city wall here. The city wall survives to 4m in height by at least 30m in length with a raised grassed area at the base, along Cook Street. The wall is a National Monument and all works were carried out under Ministerial Consent. The old flood-lights were installed in the late 1980s along the green space, which is approximately 0.25m higher than the road level and is retained by a low modern limestone wall.
To minimize potential impact, the existing electrical duct was re-excavated as part of the project and the old lights were removed from the old turrets and replaced, the turrets being re-pointed and repaired. Four additional light turrets were also added at the western end, towards Bridge Street, where there was no original lighting and, as a result, a new trench had to be excavated at this end.
In general, the western trench measured 0.4m in width by between 0.5m and 0.6m in depth running for approximately 8m in length. The general results suggest the grassed area, at the eastern end, was comprised of infill clays with a modern cultivation layer on top. However, cobble and brick foundations were located at the western end, in the new trench, and lying approximately 0.5m below present ground level, in front of where the wall ends. The unexpected find indicates that that there may be significant post-medieval deposits at the western end of the green area, related to the terrace of houses shown on Rocque's map of Dublin, dated 1756. After the houses were demolished, then, the evidence suggests that dark brown soil containing fragments of demolition material, including brick limestone (along with original soils from the rear yard areas) was spread over the site but that the basal layers of cobbles and brick wall foundations are still in situ. At a much later period this organic material was sealed deliberately with what appeared to be re-deposited tan-coloured subsoil, which could be tracked across the site lying between 0.2m and 0.35m below present ground level; this was modern as it sealed lean-mix.
No medieval layers were located during the monitoring but the depth was limited and there are known deep riverine deposits in this location, as it was originally within the Liffey bed.

28 Cabinteely Close, Old Bray Road, Cabinteely, Dublin 18 n