asked the Minister for Finance in respect of the excavation at the Cork old walled city mediaeval site in 1974, towards which a State grant of £58,000 was paid; (a) the number of objects of archaeological importance discovered and where they are lodged; (b) to whom they belong; and (c) if they are open to public inspection.

Upwards of a quarter of a million objects were discovered during the course of archaeological excavations carried out at two sites within the boundaries of the old walled city of Cork between 1974 and 1977. They comprise worked leather, wood, metal objects, pottery, botanical and zoological material. The finds belong to Cork Corporation.

Conservation work is still being carried out on some of the finds and these are lodged in University College, Cork. The bulk of the artefacts are at the Cork City Museum where they are open to public inspection.

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