2002:0970 - NAAS: Sallins Road, Kildare

The site of a proposed Naas GAA clubhouse and grounds at De Burgh’s estate was tested before development in July 2002. At the time of the site inspection in June 2002, the fields had a dense vegetation cover, and no surface features were identified. The site consists of two joined land parcels. The northern land parcel, an elongated field parallel to the Naas and Corbally branch of the Grand Canal, is shown as an open field on the first-edition OS map of 1837. The southern land parcel, a rectangular part of two fields and an access route from the Sallins road, is shown as a wooded field of the Oldtown Demesne, with a small, rectangular, open field forming the southern boundary of the site on the first-edition OS map of 1837.

An enclosure site, shown on the Record of Monuments and Places (19:19), is marked on the first-edition OS map of 1837 and the third-edition map of 1938. The site is also shown on Taylor’s (1783) map with a ring. The proposed development would be near the enclosure site; pre-development testing was therefore required.

The site was tested through the mechanical excavation of 25 test-trenches 30–80m long. The northern land parcel was tested by nine trenches, eight of which were oriented roughly east–west, perpendicular to the Grand Canal. They revealed the soil at the southern end of the field to have a high organic peat content in comparison with the northern and eastern parts, where the topsoil sits directly on the natural boulder clay. A linear feature, with a curving base, was identified in two of the trenches. The only objects recovered were occasional fragments of modern window glass and sherds of 20th-century pottery.

The southern land parcel was tested by fifteen trenches. Three were excavated within the confines of the rectangular field at the eastern part of the site. The trenches revealed topsoil overlying a light brown, sandy soil to a depth of 0.55m, which overlay the natural boulder clay. They produced modern pottery, window glass and occasional modern roof tiles. A test-trench outside this field produced a basal sherd of post-medieval pottery from 0.45m below the surrounding field surface.

The remaining trenches were dispersed throughout the field. The field surface rose gently from the western corner to the east. A trench oriented roughly east–west in the western corner of the field revealed topsoil overlying a brown sandy soil (0.3–0.6m), which overlay the natural boulder clay. The trench produced two sherds of medieval pottery. The trench closest to the archaeological monument was c. 50m to the west of the monument and produced no archaeological features. None of the remaining trenches produced any features of archaeological significance.

On the basis of the occurrence of medieval and post-medieval pottery at the western part of the southern land parcel and the linear features in the northern field parcel, it was recommended that all topsoil-stripping be monitored.

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