1999:176 - DONABATE: Turvey Avenue, Dublin

Test excavation was undertaken at a site at Turvey Avenue, Donabate, Co. Dublin, on 25 November 1999. Fingal County Council intends to widen the footpath on the south side of Turvey Avenue, which will entail the scarping of the existing slope to an estimated depth of 0.6m below present ground level. The works to be carried out are adjacent to the medieval church of St Patrick.

The fields to the north of the church of St Patrick slope steeply to Turvey Avenue. There is a considerable drop (c. 0.75m) to the existing footpath along Turvey Avenue, resulting from soil build-up along the field boundary. This may represent a plough lynchet. It was noted that a greater build-up of soil occurred at the eastern end of the field, i.e. closest to the tower and church, than elsewhere. The ground is currently in grazing.

Five trenches were excavated by mechanical excavator. A considerable amount of activity, ranging in date from probably the medieval period to the 19th-early 20th century, was represented in the test-trenches.

The trenches excavated revealed a thick (max. 1.35m) depth of ploughsoil, of probable medieval date. No cultivation furrows or ridges were evident in the soil, and there was no apparent stratification, except that of the upper humic sod level. Finds of recent date were not recovered from the ploughsoil, except where it was evident that a pit (Trench 4) cut into it. No finds of medieval pottery were made from the ploughsoil, but a coin, identified by Michael Kenny as a 'Patrick' dating to 1564, was recovered.

Pits containing food debris, bone and shell were uncovered in Trench 1. While these may relate to the cottages present on the north side of Turvey Avenue, there is a strong possibility that they are late medieval in date.

Finds of more recent date were recovered from the upper black loam.

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