2019:071 - Quin Friary, Quin, Clare

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Clare Site name: Quin Friary, Quin

Sites and Monuments Record No.: CL042-027 Licence number: E004671

Author: Graham Hull, TVAS (Ireland) Ltd

Site type: Medieval and post-medieval structures

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 541855m, N 674533m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.818628, -8.862616

Two small trenches were excavated as part of a research programme on earthworks adjacent to Quin Friary (CL042-027002, National Monument No.:15), Quin, Co. Clare. The trenches were targeted at two rectangular earthworks among many to the south and east of the friary.

Trench 1, located 20m east of the friary and measuring 5m long by 1m wide, located the backfilled continuation of the castle moat and examined part of a stone wall from a likely post-medieval rectangular building. Trench 2, located 80m south-east of the friary and measuring 5m long by 1m wide, examined the internal occupation surface and southern stone wall of a second probable post-medieval rectangular building, as well as an adjacent cobbled road surface.

Finds include a piece of clay tobacco pipe, a fragment of medieval pottery (late 13th-early 14th-century Adare-type ware), a lead bullet (17th to 19th century), shale roofing material, nails and other iron objects including a knife blade. A relatively large assemblage of animal bone, evidencing domestic consumption with probable large scale processing of animals within the bounds of the site, was found on the occupation surface of the building in Trench 2.

The structure targeted by Trench 1 is likely to post-date the 17th century and the structure in Trench 2 is likely to be dated in the period between the 15th and early 17th centuries. The roadway in Trench 2 probably pre-dates the 18th century.

A radiocarbon determination funded by the Royal Irish Academy from a sheep or goat bone from the occupation layer in Trench 2 gave a date of cal. AD 1441-1631 (UBA-34959). The most likely date for the death of the animal was between the second half of the 15th century and the first quarter of the 16th century. The determination adds good evidence that the earthworks at Quin are likely to have been contemporary with the florit of the McNamara-founded Franciscan friary (founded early 15th century and suppressed mid-16th century).
Further reading:

Hull, G and McCooey, J, 2015, ‘The earthworks at Quin Friary’, The Other Clare 39, Shannon Archaeological and Historical Society, 38-9

Hull, G and McCooey, J, 2017, ‘Archaeological excavation of earthworks at Quin Friary’, The Other Clare 41, Shannon Archaeological and Historical Society, 52-59

Hull, G and McCooey, J, 2018, 'A radiocarbon date from archaeological excavation of earthworks at Quin Friary', The Other Clare 42, 32

Ahish, Ballinruan, Crusheen, Co. Clare