Brick Yard, Brick Field — Tankardstown

Brick Yard and Brick Field belonging to the Cumiskey family that operated out of a business premises in Drogheda Street in Balbriggan is depicted on the 1837 ed. OSi six-inch map in fields 100m to the SW of Tankardstown Martello Tower (DU002-004----). Rectangular-shaped buildings annotated ‘Brick Works’ and circular-shaped Kilns depicted in the ‘Brick Yard’ on the 1863 OSi 25-inch map, with Clay Pit depicted in the Brick Field bisected by the Dublin-Belfast railway line.  Not indicated on the last edition of the OS 6-inch map.  Rectangular-shaped field (approx. dims. 116m NE-SW x 70m N-S) annotated ‘Brick yard’ on the 1837 ed. OSi six-inch map with a similar sized ‘Brick Field’ containing a small building and clay pit in the adjoining field to the S.  According to the Archaeological Impact Assessment Report; ‘The smallest brick fields established during the period c. 1750–1830 would generally cover a few acres, with the clay normally dug out in the first four months of the year to allow it to weather before brick production took place around April to September (Rynne 2015). From the 17th to the early 20th century bricks were generally fired in a clamp kiln, a rectangular arrangement consisting of alternate courses of bricks, however, by the early 1850s, more permanent kiln structures were beginning to be built including intermittent, up-draught beehive kilns that are circular in plan, as well as Hoffman kilns, in which drying and firing was a continuous process; the early forms of the latter kiln were also circular in plan’ (ibid., 169–170). The site of the brickworks either side of the railway line now forms part of Bremore Regional Park.  In early 2020, a total of 29.4 hectares of high-resolution magnetic gradiometer survey (Licence no. 20R0032) was completed within the park boundary, examining ten locations suitable for geophysical investigation (Cleary et. al. 2021). Nearly all the 19th-century over-bridges on the Dublin and Belfast line had elliptical arches of either brick or cut limestone, many of which were later removed and replaced with concrete ones (Rynne 2015, 369–70). The site for the Balbriggan brick works was most likely chosen for its proximity to the harbour, as this would have facilitated transporting the bulky cargo, and it is possible that the brick field owner(s) also possessed a small fleet of lighters and mud boats (ibid., 172). With the opening of the railway in 1844 it is likely that transport moved to freight trains. The early 1900s photo from the Valentine Collection illustrates what looks like the chimney of a Hoffman kiln; one such example at Castle Espie, Co. Down, dated to 1866, comprised a chimney 172 ft [52.4m] high with 24 compartments, each capable of containing 100 tons of limestone and with the capacity to manufacture 600 tons of lime per week (O’Sullivan & Downey 2005, 22). Hoffman kilns were used for both lime-burning and brick production during this period but given the kilns location it may have related to the brick works in this area (Cleary et. al. 2021, 14-15). Griffith’s Valuation of 1847-65 recorded that the land around the Martello tower was leased to Chas. & Thos. Comiskey for use as a brick-yard (Cleary et. al. 2021, 21). Recent excavations of post-medieval brick-production sites in Counties Clare and Limerick date from no earlier than the 18th century and uncovered brick-making clamps represented by rows (benches) of unmortared brick with deposits of black, burnt peat between them, brick-holes (clay quarries) and brick yards (Hull 2005). These demonstrate the type of sub-surface remains that may be uncovered within the Bremore Regional Park (Cleary et. al. 2021, 35).  Thom's Irish Almanac for 1903 listed William Cumiskey as a brick and tile manufacturer operating out of a premises on Drogheda Street, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin (Anon. 1903, 1630).    Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien