Tanning, the process of converting raw animal hides into leather using tannin-rich solutions derived from oak bark or other plant materials, was notoriously foul-smelling work, and tanners were typically pushed to the edges of settlement, near running water for rinsing and waste disposal. That proximity to water is precisely what placed this operation where it was.

Excavations carried out in 1993 uncovered evidence of industrial activity along the western bank of the river Poddle, running behind properties on Frances Street and along the frontages of houses on St Patrick Street. The findings were documented by Halpin in 1994. The Poddle, now largely culverted and invisible beneath the city, was once a working river that fed the city moat and supplied water to a string of industries along its course. Its banks in this part of Dublin, close to St Patrick's Cathedral, were densely occupied in the medieval and post-medieval periods, and the combination of running water and relatively affordable land on the urban fringe made it a practical location for trades that needed both.

The site itself is not publicly marked or interpreted, and there is nothing on the street to indicate what lies underfoot. Frances Street runs through the Liberties, the old weaving and trading district that sat just outside the historic city walls, and the area retains a working character even now. St Patrick Street connects toward the cathedral. Anyone curious about the archaeology of the Poddle corridor would do well to consult the published excavation reports and the Sites and Monuments Record for context, as the physical remains are not accessible. Walking the streets with a map of the Poddle's historic course is perhaps the most immediate way to get a sense of how water shaped this part of the city, and why industry clustered here long before the river disappeared from view.