County: Dublin Site name: WOODSIDE
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 03E0788
Author: Angela Wallace, for Arch-Tech Ltd.
Site type: Linear earthwork
Period/Dating: Late Medieval (AD 1100-AD 1599)
ITM: E 719658m, N 724606m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.258299, -6.206585
Testing was carried out during May 2003, in advance of construction work for a distributor road and a sewage connection, to assess their impact on a length of bank flanking the Kilgobbin/Ballyogan Stream, which has tentatively been identified with the line of the Pale ditch. The site is in the townland of Woodside, along the Sandyford to Stepaside road. Trench 1 was excavated at the southernmost end of a distributor road, on the northern side of the Ballyogan Stream. There was no apparent evidence for a substantial bank at this location. The area immediately beside the stream was very overgrown with bushes and shrubs. Once the area had been cleared of vegetation, it was apparent that a low wide bank survived, c. 0.45m in height and c. 2.4m in width. A rough patchy layer of small angular stones was visible on top of this low bank. There were several larger stones visible at the base of the bank on the southern side; they may have acted as rough stone footings. Two sherds of modern glazed pottery were recovered on the surface, along with one possible sherd of medieval pottery. No datable material was recovered from a secure context within the bank.
Trench 2 was excavated at the extreme south-east of the development along the line of a proposed sewer linkage. This portion of the stream meanders and has some pronounced bends. There is no bank on the northern side of the stream at this location, but there is a bank located on the south side. This bank was quite substantial, measuring c. 1.5m in height on the north-facing side and c. 3.2m in width. There was a lot of overgrowth and shrub material obscuring the top of this bank.
A 3m-wide trench was excavated. It was apparent from the section that quite a lot of soil was deliberately banked up at this point and a coarse stone facing of large granite rocks was incorporated on the north-facing side. The stone facing appears to be a later addition.
Three metres west of Trench 2, a collapsed lintelled footbridge (a ‘clapper bridge’) was identified; this feature was surveyed and recorded.
The excavation of these trenches at different locations along the flanking bank of the Ballyogan Stream did not provide any conclusive evidence that this feature is of archaeological significance. The nature of this field boundary is consistent with other field boundaries in the area. An examination of the aerial photographs for this area did not reveal traces of any substantial earthworks. It was recommended that an archaeological record of the bank be compiled. Monitoring of removal of the bank was recommended. This was carried out under an extension to the existing licence. No archaeological finds or features were noted during removal of the bank.
32 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2
