A 17th century mortar bomb has been discovered on the bed of the River Shannon.
Archaeologists working on a major drainage scheme on the River Shannon in Limerick city discovered the bomb, which is believed to date back to the Siege of Limerick between 1689 and 1691.
The mortar bomb is among a number of historic items unearthed on the riverbed in recent months and is the third mortar bomb to be discovered.
The Shannon excavations are being carried out as part of the £135 million Limerick Main Drainage Scheme which will give the city a new sewage system and a new marina.
Archaeologists say today's find is a 17th century Williamite mortar bomb stretching back to the William of Orange assault on the city in 1690.
Ed O’Donovan, Archaeologist with Limerick Corporation says that the find was a wayward mortar bomb during the attack that missed the city and landed in the river where it has been for the last three hundred years.
Army experts were called in from Cork to safely remove the bomb.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 20 September 2000. The reporter is Cathy Halloran.
