County: Dublin Site name: MONEENALION COMMONS UPPER
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 01E0210
Author: Simon Ó Faoláin, Eachtra Archaeological Projects
Site type: Pit
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 703498m, N 728676m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.298264, -6.447350
This site was discovered during ongoing monitoring of drainage pipeline-laying in the Tallaght/Saggart/Rathcoole/Newcastle area of County Dublin. Monitoring of topsoil-stripping beside the Cammock River revealed a small oval burnt area measuring 1.3m by 0.7m. About 1m north-west of this lay a spread of grey gravelly silt mixed with decayed stone and measuring 7.25m by 6m. Excavation was undertaken from 12 to 15 March 2001 to investigate the nature of these features.
Two sondage trenches, crossing each other to form an X-shape, were cut across the large grey feature. Trench 1 measured 7.4m by 1m with its long axis aligned north–south. Trench 2 measured 8m by 1m with its long axis aligned east–west.
The grey material of which the ‘spread’ consisted was a gravelly silt with frequent decayed stone (C2). It formed a layer up to 0.2m thick lying upon a similar, but extremely hard, deposit. It was clear that this lower deposit was a natural boulder clay. Several pieces of antler were recovered from the surface of C2, while where its southern edge sloped beneath the subsoil in Trench 1 a flint scraper was recovered from the interface. No charcoal whatsoever was present in C2.
Excavation revealed the oval, burnt deposit (C1) to be the charcoal-rich fill of a pit some 0.18m deep (C5). A small amount of animal tooth was recovered from the fill. This pit was cut through the fine, silty subsoil down into the dark grey stony boulder clay which also lay under C2.
Initial suspicions that the large ‘spread’ might be a fulacht-type site were ruled out as it became clear that the C2 material visible on the surface was a loosened and decayed form of the underlying dark grey boulder clay. This boulder clay rises to the surface through the light brown fine silty subsoil at this point, thus superficially resembling a discrete spread prior to intrusive investigation. The total absence of charcoal within C2 also militates against its interpretation as a man-made deposit. Furthermore, no artefactual material was recovered from within C2. The antler fragments recovered were all from the surface, while the flint scraper was from the interface between C2 and the overlying silt subsoil.
It is suggested that, with the exception of pit C1/C5, this site is the result of natural factors, specifically the effects of water action.
3 Canal Place, Tralee, Co. Kerry
