Deanery Land

Area

542 m²

Buildings

4 buildings touch it, 224 m² on the ground

Zoning

M2 City Centre (Limerick Development Plan 2022-2028) The objective

Townland

Deanery Land

Planning applications on this parcel

No planning application touches this parcel in the national file, which goes back to 2010.

Source: National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Applicants are not shown.

Designated sites

No designated site (Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area, Natural Heritage Area or proposed one) touches this parcel.

Recorded monuments around it

This parcel is in the zone of notification of 129 recorded monuments.

• LI005-016001 Earthwork
  Description

  Earthwork or small mound depicted with hachures on the 1938 ed. OS 6-inch map, annotated 'Castle Blake or Farranshone (Site of)' (LI005-006002-) which marked the site of Castle Blake. Modern housing located in area marked on OS 6-inch map. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 14 November 2019

• LI005-016002 Castle - unclassified
  Description

  Westropp (1907, 32) and Orpen (1914, 167-9) suggested that Castle of Blathac was 'stated to be near Limerick, having been apparently given to the citizens by John with other lands near the city; "forty" castles are named in the grant, as being in these lands; they left no trace known to us. It may have been the "Castleblagh" granted to Sir W. Parsons, in the county of the city of Limerick, and still known as Castleblake, or Farrenshone, on the Clare side of the Shannon'. Farranshone or Castle Blake was described by Westropp (1906-7, 81) as following; '1218 Walter de Lacy held the C[astle]. of Drogheda, the land of Armail [Ardmayle], and the C[astle]. of Blathac, near Limerick city (C.S.P.I., No. 835). The grants are equivocal, some giving Drogheda, Armail [Ardmayle, Co. Tipperary], near Limerick, and C[astle]. Blathac (lb., 952, 953). The citizens of Limerick granted to Henry de Londres, Archbishop of Dublin, 1213-1228, and the Church of the Holy Trinity, Dublin, a carucate at C[astle]. Blathac, with the C[astle], being one of the forty castles granted by King John to Limerick (Crede Mihi, lix. Lib. Nig. Alani, 579). Before 1248 the Archbishop granted it to Matilda, wife of W. de Mareys (C.S.P.I., vol. i., 2759). In 1624, Sir W. Parsons was confirmed in Castleblake or Castleblagh in the County of the City of Limerick (Pat. B.). 1633 Nic[holas]. Arthur held Castleblake or Farrenshone (Inq. Chan. 112) ; also in 1655 (C.S., xxviii., p. 83). It is not marked in Petty's map 63). 1666 Confirmed to Sir W. Petty (Act Sett.)'. Orpen (1909, 40-1) wrote the following account on Castle Blake; 'As to the site of the castle, in my ignorance of the locality I can only look for it on the map. It must have been close to Limerick and adjoining, if not on, the forty carucates of burgage land. It seems certain that these forty carucates, or some of them, are now represented by the "North Liberties" of Limerick, which have been formed into a barony by themselves. At the northern extremity of this barony is "Castle Park." This, however, according to Mr. Westropp's notes, was distinguished in the seventeenth century from Castleblake or Castle blagh. The latter was about the same time equated with Farrenshone, still the name of a disjointed townland here. Evidently the site of Castleblathach, if any trace of it be discoverable, will be found somewhere near'. Modern housing located in area where castle site is marked on OS 6-inch map. See attached 1657 Down Survey barony map of the North Liberties (Hib. Reg.) showing two buildings immediately S of the road leading into Limerick City. The location of Castleblake on the OS maps is similar to the location of these two houses on the Down Survey map. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 13 November 2019

• LI005-017 Historic town
  Description

  The historic city of Limerick was described in the Urban Survey (Bradley et. al. 1989, 241-67) as following; 'The city of Limerick is situated on the river Shannon in the north-east corner of County Limerick. The placename is derived from Luimneach "bare or barren land", a name which originally appears to have been applied to part of the Shannon estuary rather than just the immediate site of the city itself. The handful of prehistoric finds from the city indicates only that the site of the future settlement was occasionally frequented by man in early times. The fact that there are not more is surprising because the presence of the Curragour Falls must have given Limerick a topographical significance even in prehistoric times. There are many artefacts in the collections of the National Museum and elsewhere which were found in the river Shannon "near Limerick" but only two stone axeheads and two bronze dirks can be pinned down to the actual vicinity of the old would seem to have been an into early historic times. The Hiberno-Scandinavian Town The first evidence for the presence of Scandinavians occurs in 845 (AFM: 843) when Viking fleets appeared on the Shannon estuary and launched raids into county Limerick. It is unlikely that they settled, however, but there are a few scattered references which may indicate that a base existed at or near Limerick for a short time in the later ninth century. An eleventh century saga states that the Vikings Hona and Tomrir Torra were at Limerick with an army in 860 (Radner 1978, 109); a Viking fleet is known to have raided along the Shannon from Limerick in 866; and the Chronicon Scottorum states that the "foreigners of Limerick" were slaughtered by the Connachtmen in 887. It is hard to know if these three references add up to a permanent settlement at late ninth century Limerick or not but they certainly show that there was Scandinavian activity in the area at this time. The present city was founded in 922 by the Norse king Tamar mac Ailche (?Thormodr Helgason), "king of an immense fleet" who landed on Inis Sibtond (King’s Island) and established a lonqphort there. The site afforded considerable natural advantages. Being an island it was easy to defend, there was immediate access to the open sea along the Shannon estuary and thereby to the lucrative Atlantic trade routes of Europe. The shallows at Curragour Falls formed a natural barrier restricting the flow of river traffic and the situation also afforded an entry into the rich heart of central Ireland along the Shannon basin. Tamar, indeed, lost no time in making his presence felt. His fleet proceeded to devastate the monasteries which could be reached from the Shannon: Terryglass, Lorrha, Clonfert and Clonmacnoise among others (Smyth 1979, 21). At Inis Cealtra, on Lough Derg, the raid was so fierce that two centuries later it was remembered that "they drowned its shrines, relics and its books" (Todd 1867, 38-9). They proceeded into Lough Ree and from there started to raid into Meath and Connacht, all the while presumably sending back the loot of plunder and slaves to the newly founded settlement at Limerick for auction and sale. The history of Scandinavian Limerick can in fact be divided into four phases: (1) the period of foundation, 922-37; (2) the period of Dublin domination, 937-67; (3) period of Ua Briain domination 967-c.1065; and (4) the period as Ua Briain capital c.1065-c.1195. These periods can only be briefly glanced at here. The period of foundation, 922-37, witnessed Limerick emerge as an independent Scandinavian settlement struggling to maintain its independence from the kings of Dublin. The events of these years, which witnessed raids by the Limerick Vikings all over central, western and northern Ireland are particularly well recorded in the annals. In 923 they captured Flaithbertach mac Inmainen, the retired king of Munster, from his island retreat at Loch Cré and brought him back to Limerick for ransom. In 924 they again placed a fleet on Lough Ree, this time under the command of Colla mac Bairid (Kolli Baardarson), described in the annals as king of Limerick (AFM: 922; CS: 923). In 924 the Dublin Vikings, worried that the growing number of Limerick raids in central Ireland would diminish their power, sent an army to subdue their Limerick kinsmen but they were defeated and had to retreat back to Dublin (AU). This victory seems to have encouraged the ambitions of Limerick’s leaders. In 928 Tamar mac Ailche put his fleet on Lough Neagh and burnt the islands of that lake (AU: 927). In 929 Limerick vessels are recorded on Lough Corrib and they remained there until the following year (AU: 928; AFM: 927; CS: 930). In 930 a Limerick army encamped in central Ossory, establishing their base at Loch Beathrach, an unidentified lake which appears to have been either on the Nore or its tributary the King’s River (Smyth 1979, 25) and was only driven out by the appearance of Gothfrith, king of Dublin, with a rival army in the following year (AFM sa 929; AU sa 929). The year 931 saw a Limerick fleet on Lough Ree (AU: 931; AFM: 929; CS: 930) and the activities of the Limerick Vikings in Connacht and central Ireland between 931 and 937 has led to the suggestion that they must have established a base in Lough Ree (Smyth 1979, 250-1). Indeed Smyth (ibid) has speculated that the famous Hare Island (Co. Westmeath) hoard, the largest known gold find from Viking-age Europe, formed part of the treasure of the Limerick armies. In 933 a new leader, Olafr Cenncairech ("scabby-head") lead them into Roscommon (AFM:932) and returned there again the following year (CS: 933). In 936 he transported his ships overland from the Shannon to the Erne and raided down into the present-day county of Cavan (AFM: 934; CS: 935; A. Clon., 149). He returned back to Lough Ree on Christmas night of 936 and he remained there for seven months plundering and looting the plains of Connacht (AFM: 934). In August 937 the long-awaited confrontation between the Dublin and Limerick Vikings occurred. Olafr Gothfrithson, king of Dublin, led his army to Lough Ree where he defeated the Limerick vikings, broke up their ships and carried Olafr Cenncairech back to Dublin as his prisoner (AFM: 935; CS: 935; A. Clon. 931). That the defeat of Olafr Cenncairech marks a stage in Limerick’s history is clear from the absence of references to it the succeeding years. Indeed, from what little evidence there is, it appears that the king of Dublin now imposed a member of his own family, Haraldr Sigtryggson (d. 940), king of Limerick (Smyth 1979, 35). The settlers now seem to have become more closely integrated into the local political scene. In 953 Limerick vikings assisted the king of Munster, Cellacháin Caisil, in plundering Clonmacnoise (AFM 951; AU 952). This integration was to reach a head in 967 (AU 966) with the capture of the town by Mathgamain mac Cennetig, who had seized the kingship of Cashel in 963. The Coqadh Gaedhel re Gallaibh, written some two hundred years later states that "the fort and good town (deabali) was burned and reduced ashes" (Todd 1867, 80-1). The booty obtained at the time had all the appearance of oriental origin as Smyth (1977, 165-6) has remarked: "they carried off their jewels and their best property, and their saddles beautiful and foreign; their gold and silver, their beautiful woven cloth of all colours and kinds; their satins and silken cloth, pleasing and variegated, both scarlet and green" (Todd 1867, 78-9). The captives "soft, youthful, bright, matchless girls ..blooming, silk-clad young women, large, active and well-formed boys" were rounded up on the hills of Saingel and "every one that was fit for war was killed and every one of them that was fit for a slave was enslaved" (ibid.,78-81). The capture of Limerick in 967 marks the beginning of a period of Ua Briain domination that was to last until the coming of the Anglo-Normans. Within this period, however, there is a noti

• LI005-017001 Bridge
  Description

  19th century Balls (Baals) Bridge (NIAH Reg. No. 21513031) traversing the Abbey River was built on the site of the four arched medieval Baal's Bridge. The medieval bridge was described in the Urban Survey of Limerick (Bradley et. al. 1989, 256) as following; 'The reference to the destruction of a bridge by Domhnall Mor Ua Briain in 1176 indicates that there has been a bridge at Limerick since Viking times. The location of this bridge, however, is not absolutely certain. From the context in which the reference occurs it is most unlikely that it is a bridge which straddles the Shannon but rather a bridge linking King’s Island with Irish Town or the mainland probably on the site of the present Baal’s Bridge (Scott and Martin 1978, 167). Ball’s bridge may retain a medieval core although rebuilt in 1830 (Leask 1941,102). Both Baal’s Bridge and Thomond Bridge (LI005-017002-) are shown many times on sixteenth and seventeenth century maps and there can be little doubt but that both are ancient crossing points'. In 1998 three cuttings were excavated under licence No. 98E0581 on George's Quay and one at Broad Street before construction activity associated with the Limerick Main Drainage Scheme. In addition, a programme of excavation (50 trenches) was initiated in the Abbey River before the first phase of pipe-laying in the riverbed. Phase II of the construction work will see river gravels being investigated for archaeological structures and artefacts at the mouth of the Abbey River at its confluence with the River Shannon and another short programme of land-based excavation in the Potato Market. The summary of these excavations were described by Edmond O'Donovan for Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd as following; 'Broad Street Excavations at Broad Street (Cutting 3) uncovered two medieval bridge piers under the junction of Broad Street and Charlotte Quay. These structures formed part of the medieval bridge (on the site of Baal's Bridge) that formed the vital link between the Irishtown and the Englishtown on King's Island. When the Anglo-Normans launched their assault on Limerick in 1175 there was no bridge in the location later occupied by Baal's Bridge. Giraldus Cambrensis records that the attackers found a ford across the Abbey River and he 'hurled himself headlong into the swiftly flowing river...' and managed to cross to the opposite bank. It would appear that the bridge linking King's Island to the mainland to the south, on the site of what is now called Baal's Bridge, was non-existent when the Anglo-Normans arrived in Limerick in 1175. The excavations at Broad Street indicated a long archaeological sequence commencing in the mid-13th century up to the present day. The cutting measured 35m east-west by between 5m and excavated to a depth of 5m below the street level. Three samples from oak timbers that revetted one of the bridge piers were submitted for dendrochronological dating (David Brown, The Queen's University of Belfast). The results suggested that the bridge piers were constructed in the early 13th century. Organic deposits were identified abutting the bridge piers. Environmental analysis of macrofossil plant and insect remains (by Eileen Reilly and Penny Johnston of Margaret Gowen & Co.) has demonstrated that the deposits around the bridge piers accumulated slowly as a result of the dumping of organic refuse and the accumulation of river silts. The organic deposits originated from natural silting and contemporary settlement in the medieval city during the 13th and 14th centuries. The excavation revealed evidence for the growth and development of Broad Street, with evidence of house floors dating from the 14th/early 15th century built on top of ground reclaimed from the riverbed. This expansion of the Irishtown towards the Abbey River is likely to have been associated with renewed town wall building extending into the Abbey River. The uppermost archaeological deposits in the cutting consisted of post-medieval cobbling, drains and culverts. The medieval bridge was demolished in 1830 before the construction of the current Baal's Bridge. Baal's Bridge Extensive excavations of the riverbed from Matthew Bridge to Baal's Bridge have been completed. These involved opening a large cutting under Baal's Bridge and fifty smaller trenches upstream and downstream of the ford on which the bridge is sited. The river gravels (c. 1m deep) in these locations are rich in archaeological artefacts. While no in situ structures have been uncovered, a large, important and eclectic collection of archaeological objects was found. The trenches were excavated in situ in the riverbed, and the artefacts were recovered layer by layer. A preliminary summary of the artefacts found includes objects dating from the prehistoric period (worked flint) to the post-medieval period. To date, no Bronze Age objects have been recovered. Several pre-Viking Age artefacts have been recovered, including a possible Iron Age horse bit, an Early Christian bronze zoomorphic object and a spiral-headed pin. A number of Viking Age stick-pins and a coin (c. 1035), minted in London for King Cnut, were also found. Medieval and post-medieval artefacts include beads, coins, horse equipment, pins, brooches, tools and weapons. A small assemblage of locally manufactured and imported medieval pottery has been recovered from the riverbed. Fifty medieval coins dating from 1200 to 1540 have been recovered; they are largely Irish, although Scottish, French and English coins are also included. An early post-medieval (c. 1600) seal bearing the 'Lymerick Port' coat of arms was also recovered from the riverbed. Objects dating from the Williamite siege of the city, including iron and stone cannon, musket balls of various sizes, gun flints, spurs, fragments of iron mortar bombs, grenades, iron bayonets and coins (Jacobite gun money), have been retrieved.' (www.excavations.ie). The present 19th century bridge was described by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage [NIAH] as a, 'Single-arched hump-back limestone bridge, built between 1830-31, linking Mary Street to the north in English Town with Broad Street to the south within Irish Town and spans the Abbey River. Plaque to bridge reads: 'This bridge was erected by virtue of an Act of the XIth of Geo.e the IV. The Rt. Honble. Thos. Spring Rice M.P. for the city of Limerick. Commenced taking down the old bridge Nov. 1830. The new bridge finished Nov. 1831. J.A. & G. R. Pain Architects.' Another plaque reads: 'The ancient bridge of four arches which occupied this site was taken down and this bridge erected at the expense of the new Limerick Navigation Company incorporated 1830 - Chas. Wye Williams Esqr. Chief Director. J.A. & G. R. Pain Architects.' (www.buildingsofireland.ie). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 14 November 2019

• LI005-017002 Bridge
  Description

  The present 19th century Thomond Bridge (NIAH Reg. No. 21508001) crossing the River Shannon overlooked by King John's Castle (LI005-017014-) was described by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage as a, 'Seven-arch rock-faced limestone road bridge, built in 1836, spanning the River Shannon, with pointed curved breakwaters and short quadrant abutments. Inscription to commemorative plaque, on road side of parapet reads: 'This bridge was built A.D. 1840 at the Expense of the Corporation of the Borough of Limerick. This tablet was placed there by order of the town council A.D. 1843. The Right Worshipful Martin Honan Mayor John F. Raleigh Esq. Town Clerk Francis O'Neil Esq. Treasurer James and G.R. Pain Architects.' The building of a wider and more accessible Thomond Bridge, which was constructed between 1836-1838 to the design of James Pain and George Pain, gave better access to the agricultural districts of Clare. It replaced a series of previous bridges dating to the twelfth or thirteenth century, linking the west side of the River Shannon with King's Island. The previous medieval bridge was of fourteen arches. It is believed to incorporate pier foundations from the bridge which it replaced, as survey drawings dated to 1814, demonstrating the re-use of existing historic fabric by James Pain' (www.buildingsofireland.ie). Thomond medieval bridge crossing the River Shannon was described in the Urban Survey of Limerick (Bradley et. al. 1989, 256) as following; 'The reference to the destruction of a bridge by Domhnall Mor Ua Briain in 1176 indicates that there has been a bridge at Limerick since Viking times. The location of this bridge, however, is not absolutely certain. From the context in which the reference occurs it is most unlikely that it is a bridge which straddles the Shannon but rather a bridge linking King’s Island with Irish Town or the mainland probably on the site of the present Baal’s Bridge [LI005-017001-] (Scott and Martin 1978, 167). The bridge across the Shannon appears to have been built in the reign of John [1199-1216]. In 1358 the citizens received a grant to assist them in extending this bridge and adding towers to it in order to repel the Irish (Tresham 1828, 74: no. 82). Both Baal's Bridge and Thomond Bridge are shown many times on sixteenth and seventeenth century maps and there can be little doubt that both are ancient crossing points'. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 14 November 2019 See Hodkinson, B. (2005) 'Old Thomond bridge' NMAJ 45, 1-6

• LI005-017003 House - medieval
  Description

  Bourke's House described in the Urban Survey of Limerick (Bradley et. al. 1989, 258-9) as following; 'One wall of this structure stands on the north side of Athlunkard St near the junction with Mary St. It is built of roughly coursed rubble limestone and is c.7m high and 12.5m wide although incomplete at both ends. In the centre of the facade, at ground level, is a modern pointed recess containing a drinking fountain; this possibly occupies the site of an earlier door. A large concave moulding runs across most of the facade some 2m above ground level. Above the drinking fountain, c.3m above ground, is another pointed recess occupying the site of a fireplace with chimney-flue rising above it. To the west of the fireplace is a small wall cupboard. Above the fireplace, c.6m above ground level, the wall is thickened inwards by 40cm and is supported on a row of flat lintels resting on pyramidal corbels. Above each lintel is a relieving arch'. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 14 November 2019

• LI005-017004 Castle - tower house
  Description

  National monument No. 383. Late medieval tower house known locally as Fanning’s Castle which stands at the S end of King's Island, E of Creagh Lane and S of Mary Street, 55m N of the Abbey River and 130m SSE of St Mary's Cathedral (LI005-017015-). The castle was named after the Fanning family who were in possession of this building in 1641. The castle was also known locally as Whitamore's Castle named after Whitamore's Inn which was described in the 17th century as facing the Old Tholsel in Mary Street (Limerick Leader July 15, 1950). However in the 17th century the Town Hall was housed in the Exchange, of which the portico still survives standing behind the chancel of St. Mary’s Cathedral. Thomas Dineley a visitor to the city in the late 17th century stated the 'The Inns of the best accommodacon are at Mr. Francis Whittemares' (Shirley 1886, 440). The footnotes to Dineley's diary stated 'Francis Whittamore was mayor of Limerick in 1682' and that Whittamore's Castle was located in Mary-street (ibid.) Conservation work was first carried out on the building by the state c. 1940 (ibid.). In the 1950 article in the Limerick Leader the building was described as following; 'The house dates from about 1500. It fronted originally on Mary Street, and the present conspicuous remains really represent the hind portion with fireplace, doorway, Tudor windows and a graderobe. North of the ruin a stump of ancient masonry behind Creagh Lane houses marks the former home of the most notable of the Fanning's, Dominic. In 1646 a peace treaty was rejected, the existing Mayor was deposed and Alderman Dominic Fanning was appointed by the clergy and the local people as the new Mayor of Limerick (Gilbert 1879, 699). He took a prominent part in the resistance to Ireton, was taken after the fall of the city and executed in November 1651'. Thomas Dineley recorded that Dominic Fanning, Mayor of Limerick City between 1646-52 had held out 'against Ireton Cromwells son in law, for which he was hanged at this own door & his house is demolished to this day' (Shirley 1866, 441-2). Described in the Urban Survey (Bradley et. al. 1989, 259-62) as following: ‘This five storied tower house is located on the south side of English town behind the Vocational school. It originally overlooked the Abbey River. It is in a poor state of preservation; only the south wall (c. 11.5m high) being completely intact, the east wall is largely intact but with modern modifications, the south return of the west wall survives and the north wall is completely missing. The masonry is roughly coursed limestone with dressed limestone quoins and all the windows and doors in the south wall have chamfered limestone jambs. The present ground level is built up, c.2-3m higher than in gardens to the west, and covers most of the ground floor. This may have been barrel-vaulted as a broad (3.75m) segmental arch, most of the keystones of which are modern replacements, is visible just above present ground level in the south wall (internally) and another protrudes c.75cm above external ground level at the rear (north). No features of the ground plan are visible internally but externally the south wall has a round headed doorway and a rectangular window/door both of which are now blocked. First Floor There is a large splayed twin-light rectangular window with flat rear arch and window seats, now mostly missing, and a splayed round-headed door, now missing its rear arch, in the south wall. This must have led to an external wooden stairs or balcony, supported on corbels which are now missing, although some survive on the upper floors. In the south east angle is a rectangular door leading to a narrow passage in the thickness of the east wall which projects to the south beyond the line of the south wall; this may have formed a stair turret with spiral stairs to upper floor but now is partly rebuilt and no trace of the stairs is evident. In the east wall was a large fireplace, now missing; the chimney flue rises up through second and third floors. There is also a small wall-cupboard beside the fireplace. The west wall is featureless apart from a possible blocked opening. Second floor There is a large splayed twin-light ogee-headed window in the south wall with window seats and a round headed doorway with flat rear arch. Two corbels are visible externally just below the door to the east and possibly another to the west which may have supported a balcony/stairs. Both window and door are spanned by a single segmental arch. In the east wall is a rectangular door, leading to the stair turret, and wall cupboard beside the chimney flue. The west wall has a blocked flat lintelled door, apparently original, although one jamb is modern. Third floor The south wall has a splayed twin-light ogee-headed window with a flat/segmental rear arch and window seats and a rectangular door with flat lintelled rear arch. No definite corbels to support a stairs or balcony are visible on this level externally although there is a projecting stone on the west side of the second floor door just below the arch and another projecting stone on the west side of the third floor door itself. Just above the door, to the west is a drainage chute. In the east wall is a rectangular door leading to the stair turret and a wall cupboard beside the chimney-flue. The stair turret rises only to third floor level; on ground, first and second floors, moreover, the east wall continues south beyond the stair turret. Fourth floor Externally the south wall rises uniformly (i.e. there is no gable) to a height of 11.5m but internally there is a stepped flat topped gable built against the outer wall. In this gable is a single light splayed round headed window with a flat/segmental rear arch and window seats. It would appear that the roof rested on this gable and that the east and west walls did not rise any higher than the third floor. On the east wall, north of the chimney a pediment supports a slightly thickened wall, possibly a wall walk around the base of the roof with external parapet. On both east and west walls this parapet rises sharply, by c.2.5m, one metre south of the south wall to provide a higher parapet for the south wall with gable end’. Described by Harbison (1970, 152) as; 'The somewhat disappointing walls of a four-storey house built by a Limerick merchant named Fanning in the late 16th or early 17th century. It has unusually wide windows. Another building was added to the house later'. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 18 April 2018

• LI005-017005 House - medieval
  Description

  Medieval building listed as House A and described in the Urban Survey of Limerick (Bradley et. al. 1989, 262-3) as following; 'A short stretch of wall between the Garda Station (Nos.32-3) and No.34 Mary Street may be the wall of a medieval house. It is built of roughly coursed rubble limestone c.3.5m long and 5.5m high with a batter c.2m high. It has a projecting dressed corbel at 4.5m and a segmental (relieving) arch near this'. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 14 November 2019

• LI005-017006 House - medieval
  Description

  Medieval building listed as House B and described in the Urban Survey of Limerick (Bradley et. al. 1989, 263) as following; ‘Two walls of a house between Nos. 35-36 and 37-38 Nicholas St are probably the side walls of a medieval house. They are built of roughly coursed rubble limestone some 7m high. The south wall is 1.5m thick. There is a round headed doorway with chamfered limestone jambs in the north wall between Nos.35-6'. This house was added to the Register of Historic Monuments on the 17/06/1994. Excavations carried out at 36-39 Nicholas St and No.'s 1-3 Peter St by Celie O'Rahilly under licence No. 94E0071 ext. were summarised as following; 'The site was within the Englishtown, on the east side of Nicholas Street and north of Peter Street. The latter, positioned opposite the northern end of St Mary's Cathedral, was formed between 1840 and 1870 and presumably was so named as it led to Peter's Cell, off Bishop's Street to the east. Nicholas Street was the main street and has its origins in the medieval town. There were four properties in the site, Nos 36-39 (consisting of two buildings, each subdivided into two units), facing onto Nicholas Street, and a range of three cottages extending down the northern side of Peter Street. Building 1 (Nos 36 and 37), to the north, was a three-storey, two-bay building, 9.5m deep by 6m wide. The front wall, on Nicholas Street, was a mixture of brick- and blockwork. The rear wall was mass concrete. These units were inserted between the standing remains of two stone side-walls of a late medieval house, the southern one containing, at first-floor level, the sides and part of the lintel of a late medieval fireplace. The sides were finely carved limestone, with the eastern side intact but the western side damaged. It was obvious from the vertical building breaks in the two side-walls that the walls of the medieval house did not originally extend as far as the present street line but c. 4m short of it. Between the two side-walls, towards the rear of the property, were the remains of a vaulted undercroft (Excavations 1994, 58-9; Excavations 1995, 56). The Urban Archaeology Survey also mentions 'a round headed doorway with chamfered limestone jambs in the north wall between Nos. 35/36' (Bradley et al. c. 1989-90, 263, House B). At the rear of the property was another building, of which only the northern gable and eastern side-wall survive. Building 2 (Nos 38 and 39), to the south, was a two-storey, two-bay building at the corner of Nicholas Street and Peter Street. The original building was 8.5m wide and 6.5m deep. At the rear the northern unit had a lean-to (total depth 3.5m and 1.5m wide) against the party wall with a tiny open space beyond it. The remainder of the area was covered with an extension, measuring 7m north-south by 3.75m, accessed from Peter Street. The Peter Street range consisted of three single-storey houses (artisan dwelling type), each with a central door and one window on either side. All opes were defined with brick arches set in stone walls. The total length was 21.5m, and they were 5m wide. At the rear, between the house walls and the party wall to the north, were sheds/outhouses. The three houses were at the same floor level, which was at street level at the west end of the street, but, given the drop in the latter, there was a flight of five steps to the footpath at the eastern end of the third house. Both the Peter Street cottages and the building on the corner were built between 1840 and 1870, but Nos 36 and 37 dated to the 1930s. The recent work on this site, in April 1999, following the demolition of Nos 36 and 37, consisted of a cutting, Cut 9, and limited access to the undercroft. A report was prepared incorporating an account of all the archaeologically supervised work done, together with historical and cartographic research, 18th-century descriptions and a brief inventory of comparative structures in Limerick. The standing remains of the medieval walls were recorded photogrammetrically, and structural analysis by an architectural historian is pending. Cut 9 was 2.3m east of the front wall, parallel to the dividing wall of Nos 36 and 37, and extended eastwards as far as the mass concrete back wall. There was a possible cross-wall 5m from the front of the property. It was very poorly built, with a layer of soft, cement-like substance with underlying brick, and its total width was 1m. Given its instability, it appears unlikely to have been load-bearing. West of this wall the cut was 2.7m long and 1.4m wide. There was 2m of rubble overlying soft, brown, silty fill with a high bone content. This may be of archaeological significance, although no finds were recovered that could be used to date it. Given the unstable nature of the rubble fill, no further digging was done. To the east of the cross-wall the cut was 1.6m wide and 2.7m long, and the fill consisted of a high amount of large stones, slabs and brick. The base of the back wall was 1.3m below the floor level and was set on a stone plinth from the base of which a cut and carved stone was recovered, identical to one in situ in the mantelpiece. The dividing wall of Nos 36 and 37 defined the southern side of the cut. To the west of the cross-wall it was of a very poor quality, mainly brick, which curved vertically, possibly because it was vaulted (?cellar). It was 1.6m high. East of the cross-wall it was built with 0.25m of concrete overlying courses of brick. The total exposed height was 0.45m. Given the instability of the dividing wall, it is unlikely that the 1930s buildings had separate cellars. It is possible, however, that there was a single cellar for the building they replaced, with an arched longitudinal dividing wall. The underlying fill was very loose, which would suggest that the preceding building was demolished into an existing cavity. Apart from the dividing wall with possible vaulting, no other cellar walls were identified, and it was not possible for reasons of safety to make a cutting close to the side-walls. Given that the two side-walls relate to the original late medieval house, if there was a cellar belonging to the 18th/19th-century building it is likely that it was a conversion of the existing undercroft, with an extension westwards, as it would have been structurally very difficult to have inserted a cellar at a later stage. The vaulted undercroft was initially identified towards the rear of the property, where its eastern end wall was found. This consisted of a blocked arch, with the blocking done in two parts, northern and southern. The wall itself may be original, but this was not confirmed. At the western end the vault, or at least the central part of it, was partly destroyed by the levelling of the area immediately east of the mass concrete wall of the 1930s building, in order to accommodate the concrete floor of their backyards. It was clear from the accumulation of debris here and on both sides of the eastern end wall that it was backfilled with household-type rubbish that, judging by the pottery, was dumped in the 18th and 19th centuries. The undercroft It had been intended to record the undercroft. To do this it was necessary to reduce the ground level east of the end wall. The access ramp, first made in 1995, extended from the south, through the existing gap in the property wall at the rear of the last house on Peter Street. It then curved westwards down the centre of the plot to meet the arch just north of its centre point, cutting a thick deposit of sand. The front wall of the building at the rear of the property (on the 1840 and 1870 OS plans) was identified during the removal of this fill. Its base was cut into the upper layers of the sand, at a depth of 0.5m, implying that, once the end wall of the undercroft was blocked, the area was infilled with sand before the construction of the house. This building used the end of the northern late medieval wall as its northern gable. Visible in the n

• LI005-017007 House - medieval
  Description

  Medieval building listed as House C and described in the Urban Survey of Limerick (Bradley et. al. 1989, 263) as following; ‘The dividing wall between Nos. 2 and 3 Nicholas St, 6-7m high and 90cm thick, is built of roughly coursed rubble limestone. On the north face at a height of 6m is a projecting corbel face at a height of 4m is a projecting in dressed limestone. A similar moulding face of the wall between Nos.3 and 4. Residents stated that these walls are part of an "Augustinian Church" but are more likely to have been the walls of a private house'. This house was added to the Register of Historic Monuments on the 17/06/1994. Excavations carried out here in 1994 by Celie O'Rahilly under licence No. 94E072 were summarised as following; 'This site is located on the west side of Nicholas St. within the Englishtown and is erroneously identified as "St Nicholas Abbey" on the OS 1840 map and "St Nicholas's Abbey, (remains of)" on the 1870 edition. There was no St Nicholas Abbey in Limerick, but there was a medieval parish church [LI005-017114-] dedicated to St Nicholas further north where the "Widows Alms Houses" are now, immediately south of King John's Castle [LI005-017014-]. The church was demolished after the siege of 1692 and the Alms Houses built by the then Corporation. The substantial walls stretching east-west along this site are, in fact, the remains of two late medieval castellated town houses which fronted onto Nicholas St. Three cuttings were opened: the first in No. 3, the second in No. 6 and the third to the rear of No. 5. The first two were infilled cellars. It was hoped that the third would be undisturbed but this was, in fact, infilled with cut stone masonry rubble. It appears that it was also originally cellared. Judging by the quality of the stone - some architectural fragments were found and an arched doorway in the northernmost wall was noted by the Urban Survey - the rubble may be from the late medieval houses which were partly demolished prior to houses being built in the 1930s. Unfortunately, most of the dividing wall (between Nos. 4 and 5), which had survived the various rebuilds of this site, was demolished in 1992, under the Dangerous Buildings Act, as was part of the northernmost wall where the door is located. The southern wall which is the wall of the house to the south of the site was in very poor condition and was recently repaired. No archaeological deposits were identified within the cuttings. The surviving late medieval walls are to be retained within the new development' (www.excavations.ie). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 14 November 2019

And 119 more.

Architectural heritage

No building of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage stands on this parcel.

Designated sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service. Recorded monuments: Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service. Buildings: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Works at or in relation to a recorded monument need two months' written notice to the National Monuments Service (National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, section 12).

Ground and risks

Radon

About 1 in 10 homes in this area is likely to have high radon levels. Testing a home

Landslides

No susceptibility class on the 1:50,000 map; parts are made ground.

Terrain model

LiDAR of the Office of Public Works, flown in 2011, at 2 m: tile OPW_950 (ZIP).

Flooding

The flood maps of the Office of Public Works: floodinfo.ie.

Radon Risk Map of Ireland, Environmental Protection Agency; Landslide Susceptibility Classification, Geological Survey Ireland; both CC BY 4.0. LiDAR: contains Irish Public Sector Data (Geological Survey Ireland & the Office of Public Works) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.

Download this parcel: DXF, in Irish Transverse Mercator metres, with its neighbours and buildings, for a drawing program; GeoJSON, in WGS 84, for a map; KML, for Google Earth.

Registered freehold land, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. A parcel is the land of a title, not an address. The owner's name is in the Land Registry of Tailte Éireann: a copy of the folio can be ordered on landdirect.ie, for a fee.