1980-84:0104 - TAYLORSGRANGE (The Brehon's Chair), Dublin

The necessity to excavate arose with the proposed construction of the Southern Cross Route Motorway Scheme. Though the motorway is scheduled to pass some 40m from the remaining three orthostats of the monument, it was considered prudent to investigate this area. The aim of this preliminary excavation was to determine if any structures existed in association with the monument.

The excavation proved successful and archaeologically significant material was recovered from the tomb area and from within the land requirement area of the scheme. Directly to the north of the orthostats, evidence of burial was uncovered as represented by flecks of cremated bone and charcoal, associated with several sherds of a greyish thin-walled pottery. Traces of cairn were also uncovered as defined by concentrations of stones which indicated a somewhat circular outline. Some 30-50m from the orthostats a series of pits and postholes were uncovered. One shallow irregularly-shaped pit yielded a saddle quern with sherds of coarse ware pottery lying within the basin of the quern and also being recovered from the fill of the pit. Several postholes were also present in this area, though no pattern was defined. Traces of a linear structure were exposed. It first appeared as an area c.1m wide of dark brown soil which extended for some 5m across the cutting. Sherds of a well-fired red ware pottery, flint flakes and blades, and a barbed and tanged arrowhead, were recovered from the uppermost level of this feature.