1999:171 - CLONDALKIN: Old Mill Road/Nangor Road, Dublin

A condition of the planning permission required a site assessment before development. The site is within the zone of archaeological potential of Clondalkin as defined by the Urban Survey of County Dublin, carried out by the Archaeological Survey of Ireland.

Clondalkin was an early ecclesiastical site, founded by St Mochua in the 7th century and was plundered by the Vikings in 833 (Gwynn and Hadcock 1988, 31). There is evidence that the Vikings built a settlement nearby in the 9th century-the name of the nearby townland of Raheen is the only surviving possible evidence for this fort (Bradley, 215). The area was granted as a manor to the See of Dublin by Hugh de Lacy, and there is also evidence that the village had borough status. By the 17th century the village seems to have shrunk (Bradley, 216).

It is likely that the monastic site was enclosed by a circular feature such as a ditch or a bank and ditch. The line of this ditch may be preserved in the street pattern formed by Orchard Lane and Main Street to the east of the round tower. It was considered possible that the development site is within the line of the ditch at its western limit.

The site is on the side of a cul-de-sac and is bordered on the south-west by a millpond and sluice. It was covered with building rubble that appeared to be dumped some time ago, as vegetation covered it. The development comprised three blocks at the back of the site, close to the boundary fence.

A mill stood on the site in the 19th century and was demolished sometime in the 20th century.

Six trenches tested the development site. The area closest to the millpond was avoided as the developer was afraid that trenching would undermine the bank enclosing the pond, resulting in flooding of the site. The trenches revealed evidence for major dumping of building rubble, possibly from the demolition of the mill-house here and/or brought in from elsewhere. The rubble contained brick and stone. Two stone shores crossed the site from the south-west towards the north-east. They were cut into the lower layers of rubble fill and were sealed by the upper levels. A deposit of grey silt in Trench 4 was interpreted as the remains of a possible pond or water-filled feature that was reclaimed when the building rubble was deposited.

There was no evidence for archaeological material in the test-trenches.

References
Bradley, J. Urban Survey of Co. Dublin, 215.
Gwynn, A. and Hadcock, R.N. 1988 Medieval religious houses: Ireland. Dublin. .

Roestown, Drumree, Co. Meath