Suspected human remains have been found under the floorboards of a pub in Barrack Street in Cork city which closed around 20 years ago and is now being demolished to make way for apartments.
Building work has been halted at the site of Nancy Spain’s after bones were discovered under the floorboards.
Work on new social housing has been ongoing on the street for a number of weeks with 32 housing units being built in the area. Many of those will be located in what was the back of the old Nancy Spain’s bar.
In a statement gardaí said officers attached to Anglesea Street Station were alerted to the find at approximately 11.15am on Thursday when builders were working on the site.
“Gardaí were informed that skeletal remains were found on the site and attended the scene. Work was stopped and the scene was preserved.”
The statement added that the Cork City Coroner was assisted by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster “and all parties are satisfied that the bones are in excess of 70 years old. The remains will be dealt with as an archaeological find.”
Closed in the early 2000s, Nancy Spain's was a venue where many popular artists played in the early days of establishing their careers. Singer-songwriter David Gray is said to have performed his first Irish gig onsite in the early 1990s.
The construction work being carried out on site is part of an initiative by Cork City Council to transform unused, derelict and vacant sites into homes.