County: Dublin Site name: LUSK
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E0794
Author: Susan McCabe, Arch-Tech Ltd.
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 721606m, N 754494m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.526326, -6.165884
Monitoring of Phase 2 of a large-scale residential development took place north of the medieval town of Lusk (SMR 8:10) and within the boundary of the zone of archaeological potential as outlined in the Urban Archaeological Survey.
The landscape was low lying and poorly drained. In addition to numerous agricultural features, land drains and undiagnostic small charcoal spreads, the ploughed-out remains of a fulacht fiadh were revealed close to the northern boundary of the site. While a compound in the south-west corner of the development area was being stripped, a relict field boundary, 28m long and 2m wide, was revealed. It is recorded on the first-edition OS map (1838).
The remains of the fulacht fiadh were revealed close to a natural spring, visible in the ploughsoil as a deposit of dark brown material containing abundant charcoal flecks and burnt stone, measuring 3.4m east–west by 5m. On the south side of this spread the remains of a subrectangular trough were exposed. This contained abundant quantities of charcoal and burnt stone and measured 1.2m north–south by 1.1m. A secondary spread of burnt stone and charcoal was noted 5m to the west of the first spread. This deposit was sub-oval and measured 1.5m north–south by 0.8m.
Full excavation of this feature will be undertaken in 2003.
32 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2
