Building in Kilmessan

Situated on a gently undulating landscape, with the meandering S-N River Skane c. 85m to the ENE. Archaeological testing (04E1352) by E. Eoin O’Sullivan of an extensive area (dims c. 360m NW-SE; c. 70-130m NE-SW) led to the identification (excavations.ie 2004:1272) of stone walls which were subsequently further investigated under the same licence (excavations.ie 2005:1204) by A. Collins and D. O’Connor (2005). Two walls of a large medieval building (ext. dims 15.1m NW-SE; 7m plus NE-SW) and sections of a third were uncovered. The clay-bonded stone walls (Wth 1-1.1m) were provided with cut limestone blocks (dims 0.4m x 0.2m; H 0.2m) for the outer faces. The quoinstones were larger, although generally the walls only survive to one course. No evidence of a doorway, floor, hearth, or internal supports, was recovered. The walls were sealed by deposits with medieval pottery and oyster shells, although the interior may have been open down to the eighteenth century. Its construction probably dates to the thirteenth century as Leinster cooking ware, English glazed wares and French Saintonge green-glazed wares were in deposits associated with it. A pit from elsewhere on the site produced a small coin that is provisionally thought to be from the reign of King John (1199-1216). The long SW wall is roughly parallel with the main street of the village, which is c. 55m to the SW, and it may have been at the back of a property that fronted onto the street. The building and its deposits were secured in situ, while new structures are supported on concrete spans over it. (Collins and O’Connor 2005) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload; 26 February 2021