Digging into Grangegorman’s varied history

Located between the Broadstone LUAS stop and TUD Grangegorman East Quad building is a site being explored by IAC Archaeology. 

The digging continues despite the site being abandoned as a planned European headquarters by software company Workday, in favour of renting at a Dublin 2 location.

Jenny Donohoe, spokesperson for Grangegorman Development Agency (GDA), says preserving the history here is vitally important ahead of new plans for development. 

In this area, archaelogical digs are required, she says, at “any large-scale redevelopment, such as the Grangegorman Development Agency’s project to transform the area into a modern urban quarter with education, health, and community facilities.

“Grangegorman has a long and layered history, having served various roles from the 18^th century onward, including as a psychiatric hospital and workhouse.

“Grangegorman is a very important archaeological site, given its deep and varied past. It is invaluable for understanding Dublin’s social, and institutional history, the site has provided an important window into Ireland’s medical and social history,” Donohoe says. 

“Every artefact and structure help build a fuller picture of Dublin’s urban and social development, which is what makes this excavation so important.”