2015:415 - St Mel's Cathedral/St Mel's College, Longford, Longford

This summary documents the last phase of archaeological monitoring in relation to the St Mel’s Cathedral Restoration project and this took place in the grounds of St Mel’s College in the area adjacent to the cathedral. Here, a part of the college grounds was redeveloped to form a much needed carpark for the cathedral. The same licence number was issued by the NMS for this extension as the site is adjacent to the cathedral and the area was not extensive.

St Mel’s Cathedral is situated on the south-east of Longford town (LF013-026) at a junction of roads, including the main Dublin road as it turns into Longford. The cathedral, a protected structure (NIAH reg. no. 13003002), was built between 1840 and 1893 and is a large neo-classical structure with a nave reached through a portico accessed by steps. The cathedral was built on the grounds of an earlier catholic church of probable 18th-/early 19th-century date and occupies a space which was once the grounds of that church. St Mel’s College, directly adjacent to the cathedral and separated from it by the road on its east side, was opened in 1865. The cathedral was very badly damaged by fire on Christmas Day 2009 and restoration commenced in 2011 to be completed in 2015.

Monitoring was carried out in St Mel’s Cathedral from 2011 and included also the building of the new cathedral carpark in St Mel’s College under the same license in 2015. The last phase of work commenced in the new carpark in St Mel’s College between February and April 2015. Here, some very interesting features, three wells and a related structure, were recorded in the earliest edition OS map. The 1837 OS map showed that present Chapel Lane continued into St Mel’s College grounds until the college was developed in the 1860s. The wells are located on the Fair Plan of 1836, drawn up for the OS map of the following year, 1837 (but, unusually, not shown on the OS map). It was suspected, as it was evident that a great deal of work had been done on the college grounds (as sports grounds), that the wells would have been demolished and replaced with drains. However, this could only be established by excavation of the relevant areas as construction of the carpark commenced. A license update was thus applied for.

It was found that large stone drains of 19th-century date had been constructed to replace the wells and control the underground springs. Evidence of the townland boundary between Longford Urban District and Deanscurragh Td, in the form of a field ditch which ran north-south across the site, was also found.

Ballybrack Road, Glencullen, Dublin 18