2023:614 - Grangegorman Lower, Dublin 7, Dublin

IAC Archaeology carried out archaeological testing located at Area D (Plots 14 and 25) within the Grangegorman Planning Scheme.

Testing followed on from monitoring of pre-planning site investigations (SI) during which a mass burial pit and three structural remains were identified (Ní Cheallacháin and Andrews 2022). Given the dispersed distribution of the SI pits, the monitoring report concluded with a recommendation to carry out test trenching to fully investigate the archaeological potential of the site.

Test trenching commenced on 28 March 2023 and was completed on 6 April 2023. A total of 10 trenches were excavated across the site measuring c. 200 linear metres.

Test trenching has confirmed the presence of the limestone wall foundations, red brick drainage features and yard surfaces of the northern footprint of the 18th- and 19th-century North Union workhouse complex of buildings and yards.

Trenches 2, 3, 5 and 6 in the northern portion of the development site reached depths of over 3m and natural subsoil was not reached.  An archaeological layer was recorded in Trench 3 at 3.5m depth which suggests a large amount of possible land reclamation within the area associated with the River Bradogue located to the north of the development area.

The underlying post-medieval soil horizons contain disarticulated human remains in Trenches 2 and 6 at the north-western and north-eastern extent of the site.  Trench 7 located c. 13m to the west of the burial pit identified in TP106 during SI works contained no evidence of earth-cut graves or disarticulated human remains.