2005:530 - SHANGANAGH/CORK LITTLE/ASKE/CORK GREAT/LITTLE BRAY/BRAY COMMONS, Dublin

Monitoring of geotechnical investigations in advance of the Shanganagh Bray main drainage scheme was carried out in March and April 2005. A preliminary assessment found that the proposed scheme runs through an area of archaeological importance, with a number of monuments recorded in the vicinity. While only one known monument, a linear earthwork thought to be part of the Pale ditch, will be directly impacted on by the scheme, it will skirt the constraint ring of SMR 26:68, an abbey church and graveyard site, and traverse a number of areas of archaeological potential; no trial pits were excavated at the archaeological monuments.

A total of 37 trial pits were monitored. They varied in size from 2–3m long and 1–1.2m wide. For the purpose of the geotechnical investigations, the trial pits were excavated to a depth of up to 4m into the natural subsoil. No features of archaeological significance were discovered. Monitoring of the pipe trench will be carried out in 2006.