2005:419 - DRINAN/NEVINSTOWN EAST, Dublin

Monitoring was carried out of a large-scale residential development in the townlands of Drinan and Nevinstown East, Swords. During the course of monitoring, two small prehistoric sites and one large early medieval enclosure were uncovered. The two prehistoric sites were fully excavated under the monitoring licence, while the early medieval enclosure was assessed and preserved in situ.

The first prehistoric site consisted of a kiln, a cremation burial and a hearth pit. The kiln was an east–west-orientated oblong-shaped cut containing two concave bowls, one of which was extensively scorched along its sides and base. Thirty-eight sherds of coarse Late Bronze Age pottery were recovered from this feature. The cremation burial was located 4m to the west of the kiln and consisted of a small pit filled with a charcoal-rich deposit that contained many fragments of cremated bone. Charcoal from this feature yielded a calibrated date of 1114–907 BC (95.4% probability). A shallow subcircular pit containing evidence for in situ burning along its side and base was identified roughly 10m to the south of the kiln and the cremation burial. This feature appears to have been a hearth pit.

The second prehistoric site consisted of a cluster of five tightly spaced subcircular pits. The diameters of the pits varied between 0.45m and 0.84m, while their depths varied between 0.05m and 0.16m. The cuts were filled by similar charcoal-rich fills that contained frequent fragments of struck flint. This site was located c. 100m to the east of the prehistoric site already described.

The third site consisted of two intercutting circular enclosures. The larger of the two was subcircular in shape and had an internal diameter of 34m. No obvious features were identified within this enclosure. Two sections excavated through the larger enclosure ditch showed it was 1.6m in width by 0.74m in depth. A decorated loop-headed pin and a zoomorphic penannular brooch were recovered from this cut. The smaller enclosure was also subcircular in shape and had an internal diameter of 24m. A section excavated through the smaller enclosure ditch showed it was 1.16m in width and 0.54m in depth. Centrally placed within the smaller enclosure two human skeletons were identified. These extended burials were orientated east–west, suggesting a Christian burial rite. They were buried in a supine position with their heads to the west. The skeletons were partially exposed during the topsoil-stripping and were in a poor state of preservation. No associated grave cuts could be discerned. Charcoal from the smaller enclosure ditch gave a calibrated date of AD 533–648 (95.4% probability), while charcoal from the larger enclosure ditch gave a calibrated date of AD 567–658 (95.4% probability). As the two enclosures were situated within a designated green space within the development, it was decided that they should be preserved in situ. As part of the conservation plan for the two enclosures the entire site was covered in a protective layer of terram. This was in turn covered in a 1.5m-deep layer of topsoil, which was banked down at the edges. This deposit provided a substantial protective layer over the terram. It also provided the preserved archaeological site with a slightly mounded appearance, making its location more discernable. The topsoil was reseeded in grass and left as a lawn area within the housing scheme.

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