County: Dublin Site name: FONTHILL
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 00E0447
Author: John Ó Néill, Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd.
Site type: Burnt mound and Quarry
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 706029m, N 735815m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.361901, -6.407016
Monitoring of a Bord Gáis pipeline by Ian Doyle revealed a spread of burnt stone and charcoal alongside the bank of the Liffey in Fonthill townland. The remains of a masonry structure were also noted. The site is located some 100m upstream of a large weir across the Liffey, some well-preserved sluice-gates and a millrace that is depicted on Rocque’s map of Dublin (1756). The mill-stream fed the Dunkirk Mills at Palmerstown.
Further investigation revealed a 4.2m (north-west/south-east) by 5.4m spread of burnt stone and charcoal deposited directly onto river silts. This deposit was a mere 3m from the current course of the River Liffey and was a maximum of 0.25m deep. Around 50% of the burnt deposit was made up of stone (90% sandstone and 10% limestone). Although no subsurface trough was present, the direct access to flowing water may suggest that an above-ground trough was in use. This phase is likely to date to the Bronze Age.
After more river silts had covered the burnt stone and charcoal, a shallow gully was cut, disturbing the southern limits of the burnt deposit. This gully contained some 19th-century finds. A low wall of mortared, uncoursed, limestone blocks was built alongside the gully. This was 2.5m long and survived to a height of 0.3m. An 18th- or 19th-century quarry was present immediately to the south of the site, and the wall may relate to the working of the quarry. The quarry is likely to have been the source of some of the stone used in the weir and millraces closeby.
2 Killiney View, Albert Road Lower, Glenageary, Co. Dublin
