Brief list of the range of projects supervised by Neil O’Flanagan & Reliqua.
Johnstown Church, County Kildare.
Reliqua carried out a photographic survey of Johnstown Church, Co Kildare, in advance of conservation works in 2019. The church is believed to have been part of the estate of the Knights Hospitaller of St John of Jerusalem in the Naas area. The fabric is much diminished although the east gable, with a fine double ogee window has survived to a great extent. The west gable includes the remains of an intriguing wide entrance way now much infilled. The survey was carried out on behalf of Johnstown Community Association.
Grangegorman Technological University campus, Dublin.
Several sites were monitored and excavated on behalf of IAC Ltd for Grangegorman Development Agency in 2020. The sites included the refurbished Lower (southern) House of the Richmond Lunatic Asylum, opened in 1814, and the Richmond Female Penitentiary, whose first inmates were incarcerated in 1820. Both buildings were designed by Francis Johnston, the Irish architect who also designed the General Post Office in O’Connell Street. It is believed the lunatic asylum was modelled on the Bedford Asylum, opened in 1806 in London. A few internal fittings survived in the lower house, as well as the foundations of the other wings. A kitchen/ laundry area of the female penitentiary was excavated revealing a floor of grooved yellow sandstone slabs. The overall design of the penitentiary, in the shape of an octangle took account of the then advanced thinking on the incarceration of lawbreakers,
Microsoft Campus, Grangecastle, Dublin 2014-2022.
Monitoring and excavations took place over nearly 40 hectares of open lands in advance of the construction of a series of data centres at the Microsoft Campus, Grangecastle, County Dublin 2014-2022. A wide spectrum of archaeological sites was recovered dating from the Neolithic to the Medieval eras. The largest features was an Early Medieval alignment comprising two concentric enclosures, a substantial D shaped enclosure attached to them, and another linked smaller enclosure, possibly a house. Within the D shaped enclosure were the skeletal remains of a male and female, buried on top of another, dating to the 8th or 9th century. A substantial animal bone assemblage from the ditch fills included cattle skulls, one of which was deposited with a human femur. A range of other sites including burnt mounds, a Bronze Age circular structure and a Neolithic structure were also excavated within the development. Post excavation analysis was carried out on all the material including environmental samples and animal bones giving us a a unique insight into the evolution of almost an entire townland of Ballybane from the earliest phase of human habitation to the modern day.
DSF, Grangecastle, Dublin 2015-2017
The Dublin Storage Facility site was excavated in 2 stages 2014-2015, uncovering a cereal kiln, townland boundaries, and two separate Bronze Age cremation pit cemeteries. The 12th century cereal kiln yielded substantial remains of seeds indicating that the kiln was used to fire oats primarily. The cremation pits dated to the middle bronze age.
Pale Ditch, Carrickmines, Dublin 2013.
A sixty metre long stretch of the 15th century Pale Ditch was uncovered in advance of a bridge connection to the Park retail complex in 2013 in Carrickmines, South Dublin. The ditch separated the arable lands from a stoney marshland. It continued northwards where it became a double ditched embankment. The bank was stone lined, with numerous hazel trees on either side, separated by a flat surface that served as a local trackway. A small cache of Neolithic blades were also recovered.
M8 Bypass, Cashel, Tipperary 2004.
A variety of sites in advance of the Cashel, County Tipperary, bypass in 2003-4 were excavated including medieval farmsteads, Early Neolithic transitory sites, cereal kilns, and Bronze Age Fulachta Fiadh (burnt mounds).
Kirwans Lane, Galway.
Between 1993-96 several early 17th century houses and their rear gardens were surveyed and excavated. The results provided a narrative of the development and construction of this portion of Galway City from the Anglo-Norman era. In addition, the refurbishment of the houses was monitored providing insight on the construction styles and fabric of the buildings, which themselves had had a complex history, from their use as merchant houses and their occupation by Cromwellian soldiery.
Gallanstown Reservoir, Dublin.
An historical survey of Gallanstown Reservoir was carried out prior to its proposed reuse for boating. The reservoir has the distinction of being the source of ‘soft’ water diverted to Guinness Brewery for the use of producing the world famous stout. The water was derived from Grand Canal and diverted to covered reservoirs before being conveyed to St James Gate on the banks of the Liffey about 3 and a half miles away (6 Km).
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