2024:447 - Bishop Lucey Park, Cork, Cork

Monitoring of groundworks associated with the redevelopment of Bishop Lucey Park, Cork has been ongoing since early July 2024. The monitoring is being carried out under Ministerial Consent C001094 (activity number E005387). Works around the medieval city wall have yet to be undertaken, with the majority of the groundworks to date having been focused across the central and western portions of the park. Only modern strata have been encountered to date during the excavations for structural foundations and service routes. These excavations have not extended to a depth greater than 1.5m below pre-construction surface level.

The majority of the required excavations have extended through modern layers and backfill material from previous excavation works within the park. Building foundations dating from the late 18th century onwards have been encountered within the excavation areas and these have been recorded.

Furthermore, a scatter of disarticulated human bone was encountered at a depth of 0.8m in an area adjacent to Christchurch graveyard. This area had been subject to previous intensive modern disturbance. The required protocols regarding the discovery of human remains were adhered to and ultimately all loose bone fragments were retrieved and have been retained for osteological analysis.

Works within the park will continue into 2025 and will include excavations to reveal further portions of the medieval city wall for display within the completed development.