County: Limerick Site name: Clare Street, Limerick (Moanmuck and Park)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: n/a Licence number: 20E0165
Author: Kate Taylor, TVAS (Ireland) Ltd
Site type: Post-medieval houses, undated burnt stone mound
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 558720m, N 657370m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.665933, -8.610274
Archaeological testing of a the site of a proposed new school at Clare Street, Limerick, found potential archaeological features in a number of locations in both Monamuck and Park townlands. The proposed development site incorporates the concrete yard of a former dairy co-op and a large greenfield area to its north-east. Features include the remains of 19th-century cottages, a burnt stone mound and a timber box set into alluvial clay. Animal bone found within peat suggests industrial butchery or tanning/horn processing taking place nearby.
The remains of a row of cottages shown on mid-19th-century maps survive beneath concrete in the yard at the south of the site, immediately west of St Patrick’s Church in Monamuck townland. Features, which appear to have been to the rear of the cottages, included a narrow gully containing pottery, glass and clay tobacco pipe (17th-19th-century) truncated by a later drain or flue leading to a rectangular brick-edged feature (1.3m by 0.88m). Part of a 19th-century glass drinking vessel was recovered.
A burnt stone mound was revealed in the greenfield area, north of the church in Monamuck townland. The mound measures at least 7m by 10m with a depth of at least 0.3m and more mound material found in neighbouring trenches may represent the outer edges of the mound or could be separate spreads.
A timber box or structure was identified set into alluvial clay in the south-eastern corner of the greenfield area, in Park townland. The box measured 2.12m by 1.4m and was seen to be 0.32m deep, comprising planks set on edge and possibly resting on a plank base. The box was set in and filled with a sterile pale pinkish-grey clay. This feature is tentatively identified as post-medieval in date due to the sawn planks used in its construction.
Animal bone was recovered from peat deposits in several trenches in Park townland, including horn cores, suggestive of a horn workshop and possible tannery in the vicinity.
The townland boundary between Monamuck and Park is shown on historic maps as a stream. A test trench investigated this location and revealed that the stream has been filled with large amounts of post-medieval (but not modern) building rubble.
Archaeological excavation and monitoring was recommended.
Ahish, Ballinruan, Crusheen, Co. Clare
