2024:769 - Capel Street and Meeting House Lane, Dublin 1, Dublin

An archaeological excavation was carried out at a proposed development site between Capel Steet and Meeting House Lane on the boundary of Dublin 1 and Dublin 7. The site is located within the core of an urban block defined by Capel Street on its east side, Mary’s Abbey to the south, Meeting House Lane to the west and Mary Street Little to the north.

Historically the location is significant as it was the site of St Mary’s Abbey, founded in 1139 as a daughter house to the Congregation of Savigny (Savigniac Order) of French Benedictine origin. The Savigniac Order adopted Cistercian rule in 1147 and St Mary’s Abbey became a Cistercian House. The archaeological work has established that early burial at the monastery dates from the 11^th century AD. This is an intriguing finding as it suggests the existence of a pre-Savigniac ecclesiastical foundation at the site prior to the arrival of the continental orders. Over 300 medieval burials of men, women and children were excavated from the abbey graveyard lcoated on the north side of the church.

St Mary’s Abbey became Ireland’s largest and most wealthy medieval abbey in Ireland. It was demolished after 1540 and was later the site of a 17^th-century Presbyterian Meeting House along with other 17^th-and 18^th-century buildings that were built over the old monastery. The site was again remodelled in the mid-19^th century when a patchwork of buildings set back from the street fronts were acquired by the Boland Family and the site was transformed into Boland’s Bakery.

The archaeological excavations were carried out in three phases between May 2022 and October 2024 in advance of the commencement of construction of the Dublin Bullitt Hotel. Twenty excavation cuttings were opened across the site where the archaeology of St Mary’s Abbey, the Meeting House and Boland’s Bakery were uncovered.

Archaeological monitoring of the construction works will be carried out for drainage connections, or any other excavation works carried outside of the areas already excavated.