1990:042 - MAIN STREET, Tallaght, Dublin

This site is located behind gardens of houses on the south side of Main St. Excavation here revealed several ditches. The first (F5) was a 38m length of a large flat-bottomed ditch, running east-west across the site, measuring 4m wide at the top and 2.4m wide at the base, average depth (from modern ground level) 1.4m. There is evidence for a bank on the northern (inner) side, and there is evidence for at least one recut of the ditch to re-open a channel through the silt. During the excavation, water seeped into the ditch to a depth of 0.4m. The lower part of the fill consisted of wet brown/grey silt with a high organic content, and the upper part consisted mainly of grey/brown clay/silt. This large ditch appears to be part of the boundary defences of the medieval Borough of Tallaght, for which Tallaght received a grant in 1311 of the right to collect murage for three years (J. Bradley, Urban Arch. Survey). The finding of a sherd of 13th/14th-century North Leinster cooking ware in the silt fill confirms that the ditch was in use at this period.

A second smaller ditch (F6) was discovered 15m north of and parallel to the large ditch (F5). F6 was flat bottomed and measured 1m wide by 1m deep (penetrating 0.25-0.3m into the boulder clay). The basal fill consisted of a mixture of silt and boulder clay, with flecks of charcoal and snail shells. Part of a rim sherd with strap handle attached, of green glazed Leinster ware (13th/14th century) was recovered from this ditch. This appears to have been a property boundary ditch contemporary with the Borough boundary ditch. suggesting that there was an access strip between the property boundaries and the borough boundary.

The third ditch discovered ran north-south through the site, and appeared in section as a double ditch (F7a, F7b). This ditch cuts through the property boundary ditch (F6) and therefore post-dates it. It may cut through F5, but because of constraints of space etc. it was not possible to investigate this fully. F7a was 2m wide, and 2m deep (from modern ground level), penetrating 0.6m into the boulder clay. Basal fill was brown organic silt. When this ditch had silted up it was covered with a layer of sandy gravel and topped with small stones. Ditch 7b was then cut beside it. 7b was 2m wide at top and (?)6m deep (from modern ground level) penetrating 0.4m into the boulder clay. Basal fill consisted of grey organic silt. When ditch 7b had ceased to function a bedding of flat stones was laid over the surface. A green glass bottle recovered from the silt of 7b indicates that it was in use in the 18th/19th century, and a clay pipe with 'Parnell' stamped on it, recovered from the soil above the bed of stones, indicates that the ditch had ceased to be used by the late 19th century. Ditches 7a and 7b appear to be an inter-property boundary of the post-medieval period.

121 Barton Road East, Dundrum, Dublin 14.