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A HOTEL DEVELOPMENT in Dublin halted production last October when the remains of what appeared to be 12th century Irish structures were discovered, including an example of graffiti art carved onto a piece of slate.
The Hodson Bay Hotel Group are developing a 234 room hotel at the site on Dean Street in The Coombe, to the west of the city centre.
Archaeologists from Aisling Collins Archaeology Services (ACAS) were called in and found evidence of nine structures that are believed to date from as early as the 1100s.
Five of the structures appear to be dwellings with smaller outhouses accompanying them that likely housed animals, the archaeologists say.
They also found leather shoes, a wooden spoon and bowl, a copper alloy key and a range of other items.
The piece of slate displaying the graffiti depicts a figure on a horse with a shield and sword, alongside two birds. The slate was found to the rear of one of the houses.
The archaeologists also discovered 13-14th century artifacts and structures, including jug handles and evidence of a pit used for the tanning of animal hides.
Johnny O’Sullivan, director of the Hodson Bay Hotel Group, said they planned to “celebrate the heritage of the discovery” in the hotel.
“A couple of ideas are being developed at the moment,” he said. Artwork and recreations of the items uncovered could be displayed in the finished building.
Excavation was completed this month and all finds – once verified – will go to the National Museum of Ireland.
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Have to say that’s deadly
Looks like there’s more treasure found there than 5 seasons of The Curse of Oak Island.
@Paraic McDonagh: they’ve spent more than they’ll ever find
@Paraic McDonagh: ___ Oak Island was the first long-haul tourist destination, everybody went there, the Romans, the Phoenicians, the Knights Templar, Marie Antoinette’s crowd, the British, all of the pirates, and probably aliens.
Wait until archaeologists dig up a selfie stick in 800 years
@Earl of Daventry: and fidget spinners
“Found this spoon sir!”
“well done sergeant”
@j mckenna: brilliant
Good to see that most graffiti “artists” were as crap in 1118 as they are in 2018
@Dessie Deratta: puzzling why they’re calling it graffiti considering that people commonly wrote and engraved on slates in the medieval period before paper was widely available
@Dessie Deratta: I think they might have been be 12th century Goths or Punks some kind of vandals.
Let’s hope they don’t destroy it like wood quay.
@BAINNE ATHA CLIATH: Excavation was completed this month. Excavation is destruction by its very nature. There will be a hotel built on the site.
@JimmyMc: excavation is construction
@BAINNE ATHA CLIATH: Wuuld never have been found only but for the construction of this hotel which is bringing jobs and life to inner city Dublin.
@BAINNE ATHA CLIATH: I’m pity sure they destroyed it completely to build a hotel. Mind boggles as to how it can be destroyed. Wouldn’t it of made an amazing tourist attraction if it was preserved in situe. I suppose a hotel is more important then our 800 year old Dublin history.
It will never be the same in a museum. Money talks…..
@Colm Vambeck: Your use of “then” rather than “than” implies you do indeed think the hotel is more important. The two words sound different. How can you get them wrong? And, stop using “of” when you should use “have”.
@Colm Vambeck: they didn’t destroy it as once the wood structures are exposed to the air n uncovered they start to decay at the quick rate n then to mush n what walls were found were kept n probably be rebuilt
@Alan Carthy: Well it’s gone now anyway.
But sure if they didn’t wanna build a hotel they probably have never found it
As if was house the building it wouldn’t have went to such depths
@Colm Vambeck: Would never have been found only but for the construction of this hotel which is bringing jobs and life to inner city Dublin. Also the hotel is going to incorporate it into the hotel lobby.
@Niall Brew: okay Niall you’ve said this already. You are obviously the foreman on this job.
@Sean: I’ve not seen him on site anyway
Woould of loved to of seen wood Quay when they first uncovered it… Great finds
@birdseye: Allow me to rephrase that comment for you. “I would have loved to have seen Wood Quay when they first uncovered it. Great finds.”
@birdseye: Of you not seen it? If you of the time you of got to go down there. You’ll of a great time.
@birdseye: I dont now wat dey finded der but it must ov bin grate
@birdseye: ignore them ,they remind me off the christen brothers
@FlopFlipU: you mean Christian brothers. Of you no got the good spelling either?
Historical
@Anthony Gallagher: your correct there Anthony well spotted!
@Jun Stone: *you’re.
Great discovery!
Now pour cement all over it. Then build something on top of it as if it never existed.
@Ciaran: yes its called progress.
@Ciaran: Not too high though
@Ciaran: And that’s what they seem to have done going by the pictures on RTE news – promised to Remember it in some exhibition.
@Ciaran: its being built due to Dublin having a lack of hotels and a rental crisis from that lack of beds driving people and tourists to short term lets on air bnb. The hotel will incorporate the find which would never have been discovered. Also the hotel, one of the few still owned by an Irish family will employ local people and bring jobs into an area of the city that has been forgotten about.
@Niall Brew: point taken!
Thank god bertie isn’t in power he would of given the go ahead to concrete over it like he did with the Viking Discovery
@David Clarke: They did – its now a hotel and we are only being told now.
@David Clarke: the Vikings discovered us first ,I think
@Anthony Clark: no the hotel hasn’t been built yet. its being built due to Dublin having a lack of hotels and a rental crisis from that lack of beds driving people and tourists to short term lets on air bnb. The hotel will incorporate the find which would never have been discovered. Also the hotel, one of the few still owned by an Irish family will employ local people and bring jobs into an area of the city that has been forgotten about.
Well at least it was excavated. There have been miles of roads including dual carriageways/motorways dug out all over and very little archeology reported from these sites.
@Stephen Kelly: Stephen, there has been a huge amount published about the archaeology found along roads. Books, magazines, newspapers, blogs, websites etc. Anyone who wants even more information can get access to detailed reports.
Well anything would make the news now days
Irish people will literally moan about anything and everything, and contradict the very thing they are moaning about. Amazing how the pure Gaels on the comment section forget the Vikings were the “invaders”. Yet they want to preserve this. They cant seem to make up their mind about their identity.
Its an amazing find and how cool would it be if they redid a whole mud and wattle hut in the lobby and encased some of the finds as a tourist draw. While relieving short term renting in this area, freeing up rental stock. Its win win, but not for the journal comment section.
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