2005:523 - SKERRIES ROAD, RUSH, Dublin

Planning permission was received for construction of residential units on this site on Skerries Road, Rush, with monitoring of ground disturbance as a condition of planning. Monitoring of engineer’s test-pits was carried out in July 2005 and nothing of archaeological significance was exposed.
Monitoring of soil-stripping produced evidence for extensive tillage in the area, as there were a great number of ploughmarks aligned in every direction. Earthenware land drains and box drains were exposed throughout. The distribution of post-medieval pottery hinted at the practice of manure spreading. Four features of archaeological interest were exposed.
F1 comprised an area of charcoal-blackened soil mixed with fragments of burnt bone measuring 0.7m by 0.6m and a maximum 0.2m deep. A similar feature (F2) was exposed 65m to the north of F1. It measured 0.68m in diameter by 0.17m deep. The fill was dark-grey/black charcoal-enriched soil with some stones. A group of three shallow features (F302, F304 and F307) was exposed c. 95m to the north-west of F2; these were all distinguished by charcoal-flecked dark-grey silty clay fills, which showed up in contrast to the surrounding yellow/grey natural sand. F302 and F304 were circular, 0.6m and 0.35m in diameter respectively and 0.2m and 0.09m deep respectively. F307 was pear-shaped, 0.9m long by 0.4m wide. It was 0.1m deep; there was a layer of stone on the surface.
A shallow gully (F404) was exposed c. 110m east of F3. It ran east–west in a slightly crooked line with a maximum length of 17.5m. It was most clearly defined in the middle, where it had a maximum depth of 0.15m, but at either end it became very shallow before petering out. There were two layers of fill. The uppermost (F401) was filled with charcoal-stained silty clay; the charcoal was more concentrated in places. There were a moderate number of stones, some of which were heat-split. Tiny fragments of burnt bone were present. Ninety-five sherds representing five Late Bronze Age coarse vessels dating to c. 1200–800 BC were recovered from F401 (Helen Roche, unpublished specialist report, June 2006). Some fragments of worked flint were also recovered from F401. Charcoal samples have been sent for radiocarbon dating.
The bottom fill layer (F402), light-grey/brown silt with orange mottling and sparse flecks of charcoal, produced minute fragments of bone but no artefacts.