County: Dublin Site name: STEELSTOWN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 04E0858
Author: Carmel Duffy, IAC Ltd.
Site type: Industrial site
Period/Dating: Bronze Age (2200 BC-801 BC)
ITM: E 698987m, N 725170m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.267626, -6.516086
A 500m2 excavation funded by Kildare County Council and the National Roads Authority was completed in the townland of Steelstown, Co. Dublin, in advance of the construction of the N7 road widening and interchanges scheme. The previously unknown site was situated near the top of a ridge on a north-west-facing slope near the foot of Windmillhill at c.160m OD. Anomalies were discovered during a pre-development geophysical survey (licence 03R150) carried out by Earthsound Ltd between 19 and 30 November 2003.
Testing undertaken by Elizabeth Connolly on 14–16 April 2004 (No. 473, Excavations 2004, 03E1731) confirmed the presence of a series of burnt spreads, a possible furnace and associated features.
The site comprised nineteen pits, a shallow curvilinear trench with associated post-holes, three combustion pits, one of which had heavy in situ burning and contained slag and metal, and two ritual funerary pits. One of the funerary pits produced a rich assemblage of finds, including 66 flints, Bronze Age pottery, a broken stone axe and burnt bone. The other pit produced flints from every fill and one fill contained Bronze Age pottery. There was no evidence of occupation on this site.
Samples of industrial deposits were collected and will be subjected to metal waste analysis by Dr Effie Photos-Jones of Scottish Analytical Services for Art and Archaeology. The charcoal, pottery, flint, burnt bone, slag and metal are undergoing expert study and conclusions will be incorporated in the final report.
8 Dungar Terrace, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
