County: Dublin Site name: St. John’s National School, John’s Lane West, Dublin 8
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 17E0214
Author: Yolande O'Brien
Site type: Post-medieval structures
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 714731m, N 733976m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.343557, -6.277008
An archaeological assessment was undertaken by Linzi Simpson and Dave O’Reilly for Courtney Deery Heritage Consultancy Ltd on the grounds of the former St John's National School, John’s Lane West, Dublin 8. This was carried out in advance of a redevelopment of the school into a visitor attraction under planning reference 4020/16.
The school is located just outside the city walls, moat, and gates, and within the environs of the medieval monastery and hospital of St John the Baptist. The site of the monastery is now partially occupied by a modern Augustinian friary church, but the ecclesiastical precinct probably encompassed the entire block, as far east as Augustine Street and including John’s Lane West.
This testing programme was specifically designed to lie along the line of the proposed piles and the primary objective was to establish whether or not there were medieval levels, specifically burials. The testing did not locate any burials, the findings instead were dominated by the significant remains of 18th-century house foundations, along with demolition and infill clays. The only possibility of a medieval presence was in the north-east corner of the east yard, where a possible fragmentary build was found, which had been badly damaged. A previous mortar slab floor was found across the east yard, lying at between 0.6–0.9m below present ground level.
Courtney Deery Heritage Consultancy Ltd., Lynwood House, Ballinteer Road, Dublin 16, D16 H9V6
