Luas Cross City, Dublin
Crossing through central Dublin, the route has had some difficult challenges but also has given some unique opportunities to explore the archaeology and history of what lies below the current roads and pathways. These challenges were overcome using the expertise and professionalism of our team, enabling the project to progress through to construction and completion. Through each phase of work the Rubicon team liaised closely with the Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) design team, main contractors and statutory authorities enabling each element to be completed to the highest professional standard and to the agreed budgets and timeframes. Key discoveries and investigations included the original boundary of St Stephen’s Green, a series of Tudor burials at College Green, the Broadstone canal harbour and the Cholera Cemetery at Grangegorman.
A Cholera Cemetery at Grangegorman Lower, Dublin
Test trenching undertaken at the outset of the Luas Cross City Main Infrastructure Works confirmed that extensive human remains were present at Grangegorman Lower. Historic accounts indicated that the gardens of the Richmond Female Penitentiary had been used as a cemetery during the 1832 cholera epidemic, but its exact location was previously unknown. These burials were then disturbed and reinterred in the 1870s when the railway took over the lands. Excavation revealed two charnel trenches containing the remains of at least 1,573 individuals. In addition, 27 undisturbed graves containing a further 30 individuals were also found and investigated. These in situ burials appeared to be the vestigial remains of the original cemetery. Only one headstone—dated 1832—was found; there was no other evidence for grave markers
