Dublin Port has made an exciting discovery after unearthing an ancient sea wall off the city's coast.
The ruins were found underneath a former electricity substation on East Wall Road. There were several historical artefacts dating back to the 1720s found at the site, including preserved clay pipes marked with political slogans. The remnants of the past have now been claimed by Dublin Port company for conservation.
The sea wall was discovered by building company Dunwoody and Dobson, who were carrying out works on a former electricity substation located at the junction between East Wall Road and Alexandria Road. The sea wall would likely have been eroded over time as the port was developed in an easterly direction away from the city.
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Jim Kelleher, from the Port’s heritage and communications team, said in a statement: “We have long suspected that part of the original sea wall may have lain beneath the old redbrick substation, which itself is a protected structure. But it has been incredibly exciting to have those suspicions confirmed, and to see this part of the original “East Wall” for the first time.”
The artefacts will be donated to the Port’s distributed museum. The museum will be located in the ground where the former red brick electricity substation is and will connect the port with the wider city. Dublin Port Company plans to create a glass panel feature floor in the building, which will allow future visitors to view the exposed sea wall.
Lar Joye, Port Heritage Director said: “The wall and its artefacts not only further our understanding of the city’s development eastwards, but also the lives and political leanings of dockworkers of the day. We look forward to sharing our discovery and telling these stories when the redbrick Victorian substation opens to the public in early 2023.”
Historians have said that the slogans on the pipes are one of the earliest example of political merchandising. in Ireland. There were also remnants of leather shoes present at the site, as well as glass, bone and pottery fragments.
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