2026:081 - Belgard Quarry, Belgard, Dublin

Test excavation was undertaken on 18–20 March 2026 by Aidan O’Connell and Bart Korfanty on a site at Belgard Townland, Co. Dublin.

A magnetic gradiometry survey was conducted by AMS in November 2025 (NMS Licence No. 25R0501). There were seven anomalies identified and numbered in the report. These are mostly interpreted as post-medieval field boundaries, a demolished historic building and an infilled sand pit. There are two potential archaeological features that could also be of natural origin.

Thirteen trenches measuring a total of 2150 linear meters were excavated across the site. These included trenches specifically targeted to test potential archaeological anomalies identified in the preceding geophysical survey. In addition, trenches were located across a sample of the remainder of the site. No buried archaeological sites, features or objects were identified. The ploughsoil across the site was generally 0.25–0.4m deep and overlay a stiff orange-brown clay with frequent seams of bedrock visible on the upper surface.

There were no archaeological features or artefacts recorded during the test trenching.