1994:232 - RATHDOWN UPPER, Wicklow

Due to the inconclusive results obtained from previous cuttings across the feature known as the Hollow Way (Excavations 1993, 81), an open area excavation was carried out in an attempt to unravel its function. The results reveal that it originally consisted of a slight ditch, probably with an associated bank, although no trace of this latter feature survived. This ditch may represent the remains of a linear earthwork, a poorly understood archaeological feature which is usually seen as a boundary marker. The recovery of an iron object, probably a nail, in the primary fill of the ditch, suggests it dates from the early historic period. The line of the ditch was then re-used as a route way, abandoned and then re-used again, the latest phase perhaps as late as the 19th century. The way was finally used, at least in places, as a dump for stones gathered in the process of field clearance.

The series of further excavations undertaken at the western end of the proposed development area revealed the presence of a previously unknown and unsuspected ringfort defined by a substantial ditch enclosing an area measuring 41m north-south by approximately 38m transversely. This site had been severely truncated prior to discovery, firstly by the destruction of the interior bank which was levelled and back-filled into the ditch, and secondly, scarped and levelled again with more recent agricultural improvements. This effectively destroyed all trace of archaeology associated with the interior layout of the site, leaving only the truncated remains of the ditch surviving. In all, seven 2m wide trenches were hand-dug through the ditch. These were planned and the sections recorded. In addition to these, three further trenches were opened, one of which exposed the entrance. The line of the perimeter from south-west through west to north-west is preserved in the line of the extant field boundary. Of the remainder, slightly over 40% was examined to some degree by these excavations. With the addition of Mount's 1993 cuttings, a substantial portion of the interior was also investigated. This confirmed that very little in situ archaeology survives in the interior.

The very extensive trenching regime carried out elsewhere in the field proved beyond reasonable doubt that the anomalies noted on the air photographs and the geophysical surveys were caused by variations in the subsoil and to a lesser extent, variations in the depth of the plough soil. This latter effect had been caused by the series of agricultural improvements which had taken place in the field in the recent past

Powerhouse, Pigeon House Harbour, Dublin 2