2017:408 - Leinster House/Dáil Chamber, Kildare Street, Dublin 2, Dublin

Monitoring took place in relation to the reduction of an internal wall in a small room in what was formerly the basement of the original Laundry/Kitchen building attached to Leinster House. This industrial building formed part of the original house complex, built at the same time as Leinster House in c.1745. The wall was identified before the works as possibly representing the original western wall of the Laundry/Kitchen or front façade which was added to on the western side in the Victorian period. The only feature was a large window, with a Victorian brick surround which was subsequently infilled.
The monitoring of the reduction of the wall confirmed that it does represent the main western wall of the Kitchen/Laundry at basement level but it could not establish whether or not the ope was an original feature. However, it is likely it was original as the basement must have been lit, possibly with the help of light wells, which were in common usage at this time. The wall was found to be constructed of large limestone and granite block, with occasional 18th-century half bricks within the interior. Some of the blocks were roughly cut but although at least one granite block was square and well-cut. The wall was reduced by 1.8m, exposing the core and partially removing the Victorian window. The lower levels of the wall, however, over 1m in depth, was retained in situ.
The monitoring also unexpectedly exposed the base of a pier at ground floor level, in the northern wall of the chamber, to the west of the reduced wall. This fine pier, at ground floor level, is of Ardbraccan limestone as was the front façade of Leinster House, as indicated on the Rocque depiction. No additional features were found during the works and the limestone and granite blocks were salvaged from the wall for future use in the Leinster House complex.

28 Cabinteely Close, Cabinteely, Dublin18