The pinpoint accuracy of a map of Dublin made nearly 250 years ago has been uncannily confirmed by a major archaeological dig in the Smithfield area of the city.
"What we've uncovered here is Rocque's Map of 1756," said Ms Margaret Gowen, whose company is carrying out the excavation on behalf of the developers of a €300 million scheme planned for the west side of Smithfield.
John Rocque's accuracy in drawing the Dublin of his day is evident from the basements and foundations of 17th-century houses and from the now-uncovered street plan of the area from the time when Smithfield was a cattle market.
Among the numerous finds on the site was a human skeleton uncovered in one of the back yards - probably someone who had been murdered, according to Ms Gowen. The excavation is expected to continue for several months.
A team of 30 archaeologists headed by Mr Franc Myles, had just found an Elizabethan coin on the four-acre site yesterday when it was toured by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern. "It's wonderful to see so much of our past," he remarked.
But not for long. After the site has been fully recorded, these remnants of old Dublin will be demolished to make way for a double-basement car park as part of what the owners claim will be inner city's "largest ever mixed-use development".
Planned for a site that had been Duffy's scrapyard for more than 20 years, the scheme will include 328 apartments, nearly 8,000 sq metres of offices, 5,000 sq metres of retail and leisure facilities and 6,500 sq metres for an unspecified cultural use.
Fusano Properties Ltd - a consortium involving car dealer Mr Joe Linders, whose premises is nearby, and two property developers, Mr John Flynn and Mr Paddy Kelly - say it "will rival Temple Bar as a local and tourist destination in Dublin".
Billed as "Smithfield Market", which was the name first given to the area in 1665, the scheme designed by architects Horan Keogan Ryan will have "a number of bars and restaurants" as well as "a state-of-the-art gymnasium and leisure centre". It will not include, however, a 23-storey apartment tower as its centrepiece. That was rejected by An Bord Pleanála following appeals by An Taisce and local residents, though the developers may seek permission for a 12-storey version.
Extending southwards to Haymarket and westwards to Queen Street, the bulk of Smithfield Market will be significantly higher than Smithfield Village, the mid-1990s scheme that occupies the Jameson Distillery site on the east side of the elongated square.
The Taoiseach described the Fusano development as "an enormous vote of confidence" in an area which had been ignored by property investors for decades.
Given its vast scale, Mr Ahern said Dublin City Council's investment in improving Smithfield - including the installation of a dozen 26-metre beacons - and the provision of generous tax incentives for urban renewal had now clearly paid off.
He dismissed suspicions that there might be "some ulterior motive" behind the incentives. Their only purpose was to secure the renewal of derelict areas "and if people ultimately make money out of it, that's what life is all about".
Senator Joe Costello (Labour) complained that there was "not one single local person" at yesterday's launch, apart from three Stanhope Street schoolgirls who were presented with prizes for photography. "It was all suits, even the women," he said.