County: Dublin Site name: PARKWEST, Gallanstown
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 99E0108
Author: Avril Purcell, Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd.
Site type: Burial ground
Period/Dating: Early Medieval (AD 400-AD 1099)
ITM: E 708096m, N 732595m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.332553, -6.377066
During topsoil-stripping before the development of a business park, human remains were revealed on a very low mound towards the north-west of this development in February 1999. A rescue excavation was carried out by Cóilín Ó Drisceoil (Archaeological Consultancy Services), which revealed three east-west-oriented skeletons and disarticulated bone. Two other trenches were opened, and four other individuals were exposed in these. It was thus concluded that the site represented an Early Christian cemetery.
An assessment of the extent of the site was required, and eight trenches were opened encircling the area of the known burials. Six burials were partially exposed but, as agreed with Dúchas, were not excavated.
In several trenches a wide, shallow ditch was revealed. Two sections were opened through the ditch in two trenches. It was c. 2.5m wide and 0.6m deep as revealed in the trench to the north-west of the first burials found. The other section, opened to the south-east, could not be fully excavated as five burials were revealed that were to remain in situ. This feature appears to have been backfilled in antiquity, and subsequently burials were inserted into it, suggesting that the cemetery extended beyond this ditch on the south-eastern side.
2 Killiney View, Albert Road Lower, Glenageary, Co. Dublin
