2017:199 - Former Good Shepherd Convent Site, Sunday's Well, Cork, Cork

In response to a request for further information form Cork City Council (Planning ref. no. 17/37279) in relation to a proposed development at the site of the former Good Shepherd Convent, Sunday’s Well, Cork, a programme of archaeological testing was carried out at the site between 28 September and 9 October 2017. Testing was primarily focused on the identification of any possible undocumented burial places or graves within the proposed development areas of the site, however, the testing programme concurrently investigated for the presence of any unrecorded archaeological features, artefacts or deposits within these areas.

Test trenching was undertaken in four areas of the development site: Area 1 in the north-east corner; Area 2 in the south-east corner; Area 3 in the south-centre; Area 4 in the south-west corner. Prior to the testing programme, Areas 1 and 3 were subject to geophysical (GPR) survey, undertaken by Target Geophysics (17R0115); surface conditions in Areas 2 and 4 were not suitable for geophysical surveying. The trenching strategy targeted any discrete reflectors of possible interest in the surveyed Areas 1 and 3, while the strategy was designed to target a minimum of 15% of Areas 2 and 4 through the excavation of linear test trenches. Test trenches totalling an area of c.850m² were excavated across Areas 1, 2, 3 and 4; this represents 16.5% of the combined area of 5140m² which was available and suitable for testing within the development areas.

In Area 1, testing revealed that significant amounts of infill material, most likely sourced from the scarping of the hillside to the north of the site, was introduced in order to build up the ground level and negate the natural gradient of the terrain in the area. This was particularly evident along the southern margin of Trenches 3 and 4 where between 1m and 1.5m of introduced fill underlay the upper ‘garden soil’ of the kerbed garden plots within which the trenches were excavated. Cast iron water pipes and their associated excavations were evident within the infill layers. The upper humic layer contained frequent inclusions of late 19th- and early 20th-century ceramics, metal, plastic, brick and significant amounts of animal bone indicating that the kerbed plots of Trenches 3 and 4 (T.3, T.4) were regularly used as depositories of both organic and inorganic waste. Significantly less frequent amounts of inclusions were noted in Trenches 1 and 2 to the north of T.3 and T.4. On each occasion that bone fragments were revealed, machine excavation was halted, the surrounding area was cleaned back manually and the bone fragments were examined by the attending osteoarchaeologist. Machine excavation only resumed once the bone fragments were identified as being non-human and were retrieved from the soil.

A number of agricultural linear features were evident truncating the natural subsoil at the base of the trenches within Area 1, demonstrating the agricultural nature of the site prior to the development and expansion of the convent complex. All of the features were also manually investigated and generally proved to be shallow and ephemeral in nature.

Area 2 proved to be heavily disturbed by deposits of debris relating to the demolition of structures subsequent to the fires which occurred on the site in the 2000s. All seven trenches excavated across Area 2 revealed significant deposits of construction stone, brick, slate, metal, timber, plastic etc. Between 1m and 1.5m of this material was present across much of this area. Occasional animal bone inclusions were contained within the debris material, all identified bone was examined by the attending osteoarchaeologist.

Across much of the area, the original topsoil and upper subsoil levels were truncated prior to the deposition of the demolition debris in order to accommodate the material. This was indicated by the lack of an underlying sod/topsoil layer below the modern material and also the general absence of agricultural features at natural subsoil level. A tarmac surface was subsequently laid across much of the area, overlying the demolition debris and at the same level as the extant fountain feature which was in existence while the convent complex was in operation.

Area 3, in which ten targeted test trenches were excavated, was less disturbed with varying depths of topsoil and a 'B-Horizon' transitionary type soil layer overlying natural subsoil across the area. The transitionary soil layer may have formed naturally as a result of ‘hill-wash’ or alternatively may have been spread across the area in order to reduce the natural gradient of the slope. It was relatively sterile, containing fewer inclusions than the overlying topsoil which contained modern ceramic sherds, glass, metal and moderate amounts of animal bone. In the eastern portion of Area 3 the combined depth of the soil overlying natural subsoil was up to 1m deep in places. Generally shallow and ephemeral agricultural and cultivation linears, some of which contained late 19th-century pottery, were evident truncating the 'B-Horizon' layer within a number of the excavated trenches. Any disturbances which were evident in the natural subsoil were manually investigated and consistently proved to be caused by tree pitting and root action, as well as natural variations in the subsoil.

A probable back-filled geo-technical trial pit was uncovered in Trench 9, this was excavated to its full depth of c.3m, it contained no inclusions.

Testing within Area 4, which entailed the excavation of four short linear test trenches across the footprint of a proposed attenuation tank, proved to be uncomplicated with a shallow topsoil and underlying transitionary layer directly overlying a largely sterile subsoil. Any disturbances evident on the surface of the natural subsoil were manually investigated with all proving to be the result of natural processes.

Discrete deflectors of possible interest identified during the GPR survey and any additional ground disturbances identified during the testing programme within Areas 1, 2, 3 and 4 proved to be the result of modern non-archaeological disturbances, post-medieval agricultural activity or soil variations caused by natural processes. All identified disturbances were manually investigated. No artefacts, features, deposits or anything of archaeological or cultural significance was revealed during archaeological testing. The location of a possible sub-surface tank was investigated to the rear of the extant convent structures (Area 6), investigations proved no tank existed at the location.

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