The bones were found below the basement wall of 137 Capel Street, a thoroughfare that has been a commercial artery on the north side of the Liffey since the late seventeenth century. An articulated skeleton, meaning one where the bones remain in their natural anatomical relationship rather than scattered or disturbed, generally suggests a formal, deliberate burial rather than casual disposal, which raised immediate questions about what had once occupied this ground.

The most likely explanation, according to Hilary Kehoe's 2006 survey, is that the remains were connected to a burial ground situated close to the rear of Scots Church on Capel Street. Scots Church, a Presbyterian congregation with Scottish roots, was an established presence in this part of the city, and like many urban churches of its era it would have maintained a burial ground for its congregation. As Dublin expanded and was rebuilt across successive centuries, such grounds were frequently built over, their boundaries forgotten or deliberately ignored. The skeleton at number 137 appears to be a remnant of that process, one body left in situ while the city continued upward and outward around it.

There is nothing to see at street level today. Capel Street itself is a long, varied strip of furniture shops, hardware merchants, and bars, and number 137 gives no outward indication of what lies beneath it. The Scots Church building, which still stands on the street, is the most tangible point of reference for anyone trying to orient themselves to this history. The burial ground itself is not accessible, and the skeleton was discovered during construction or survey work rather than as part of any planned excavation. What the find illustrates, perhaps more than anything, is how layered the ground beneath a city like Dublin actually is, with whole chapters of use and occupation compressed into the soil below the footpath.