2005:384 - BALGRIFFIN PARK, Dublin

In September 2000, an assessment was carried out by Georgina Scally (Excavations 2000, No. 238, 00E0714) in advance of the construction of the North Fringe Sewer, which lay to the south of the demolished Balgriffin House (SMR 15:62) and the site of a church (SMR 15:12). No finds or features of archaeological significance were uncovered.
Gill Mc Loughlin recently carried out a series of investigations on the site immediately to the north of the proposed development (Excavations 2004, No. 513, 04E1371). In one area a series of linear and curvilinear ditches were identified. Testing and partial excavation of these features suggests that their fills were largely sterile, although occasional sherds of medieval pottery were recovered. It is thought that this may be a large possible enclosing ditch that may be associated with the known sites, while the other features appear to be associated with drainage/land boundaries.
Phase 1 of testing under this licence commenced at the site on 8–9 March 2005. This was carried out using a 13-tonne tracked excavator with a flat toothless bucket. In total, 1326 linear metres of trenches were investigated across the proposed development area. The trenches were arranged to investigate any anomalies that may have existed along the line of a number of roads in the proposed development. No features of archaeological significance were uncovered in the test-trenches.
Phase 2 of test-trenching commenced at the site on 23 June 2005 and lasted for four days. This was carried out using a 20-tonne tracked excavator with a flat toothless bucket. In total 2200 linear metres of trenches were mechanically investigated along specific roads across the proposed development area. The trenches were arranged to investigate any potential archaeological material that may exist along the route of a number of roads within the proposed development. No features of archaeological significance were uncovered in the test-trenches, with the exception of Trench 16 at the south of the development. Four features were recorded along the length of this trench (Area A) and these were excavated during August 2005.
Features in Area A were spread over c. 100m and consisted of a series of ditches, drains and some pits. These ditches were all relatively shallow, the deepest of them being 0.48m deep, and they probably functioned as drains. Some of the more substantial ditches appear to relate to each other and may have functioned as field boundaries/drains. These ditches are parallel to each other and also to existing field boundaries in the surrounding area. No datable finds were recovered from any of the ditches.
A number of other features were also discovered during monitoring of topsoil-stripping in the southern part of the proposed development area (Areas B and C) and were also excavated during August 2005. The pits located in Areas B and C show evidence of burning and dumping of burnt material in the past, but no datable finds were recovered from any of the pits. In the absence of any datable material, it could be assumed that these pits are related to the various field boundaries, ditches and drains as uncovered in Area A.