2005:541 - TAYLORSGRANGE, Dublin

Monitoring and subsequent excavation was undertaken at Taylorsgrange, Co. Dublin. The development lies in the zone of archaeological potential of St Sabh’s well and the ‘Brehon’s Chair’ portal tomb.

A fulacht fiadh, an area of post- and stake-holes and a metalled surface were identified during monitoring in the south of the development in an area measuring 80m east–west by 21m. The area was divided into Sites 1 and 2.

In Site 1, a roughly circular metalled surface of unknown date and function was identified. The surface was placed in an area of well-drained soil and, although located on a north-facing slope, it was level. It measured c. 5.5m north–south by 11m. A circular metalled depression close to the centre may have been utilised to hold water. There was no evidence to suggest that the surface was enclosed or roofed. A number of post-holes were identified to the west of the surface. These formed a rough line and may have acted as a windbreak. The surface was cut through the centre by a linear ditch of unknown date. A deposit of sand with iron panning had built up on the surface, suggesting that it had been left open to the elements once it had gone out of use.

A circular pit was also found in the vicinity of the surface filled with charcoal and grey silty sand. Charcoal has been sampled from this pit for possible dating analysis.

In Site 2, possible structures and a flint-knapping site located on the edge of a stream were identified. Two phases of a fulacht fiadh, separated by an episode of silting and the construction of a possible prehistoric wall, were also recorded.

The earliest phase of activity is represented by a surface, and post- and stake-holes in the higher well-drained soils in the very south of the site. No coherent pattern could be identified from the post-holes. This area extended beyond the edge of excavation. The post-holes may represent the remains of a habitation or industrial site. The discovery of a number of flint tools and debitage associated with both the surface and the posts suggests that flint working was taking place here.

Several of the stake-holes may represent the remains of small fences. These fences (oriented east–west) may have acted as a windbreak or as an enclosing fence around the area of flint working.

A rectangular trough, 1.7m by 1.1m, can also be attributed to this phase. It was located in a waterlogged depression in the west of the site. Post-holes were cut into the north-west and south-west corners. The trough was cut into the subsoil below a layer of grey silt and was partially covered by a linear stone wall. The wall was oriented north–south and extended from the centre of the depression, which was filled with burnt-mound material, westwards. The wall ran for a distance of 5.75m. No artefacts were found under the wall, but four flint blades and eight pieces of struck flint were found on the surface of the subsoil and in the layer of grey silt in which the wall was sitting. A large quantity of stones had been dumped on the northern side of the wall. A dried-up stream is located to the west of this area of activity.

A second trough lay to the east of the first. It was also rectangular in plan. It measured 2.55m east–west by 1.3m and had a maximum depth of 0.3m. It was cut by a circular pit and at a later stage by a post-medieval pit. The trough was located in a natural depression beside a spring in the east of the site. The spring would have acted as the principal source of water for the trough. The trough had a fill of charcoal-rich silt with many burnt granite stones. Material from the trough was dumped on the wall in the west of the site. The material filled the depression in which the wall sat.

Both the east and the west areas of Site 2 were subsequently subject to heavy silting, indicating that the site was abandoned.

One hundred and seventy two pieces of flint were recovered from the site, the majority from the western side. Primary, secondary and tertiary blades were included in the assemblage, as were cores and debitage. Their presence suggests that some degree of flint knapping was being carried out on or near the site. Other artefacts recovered include a number of possible hammerstones recovered from both the surface cleaning and the bottom fill of the stream. Two sherds of prehistoric pottery were recovered from a stake-hole located within the concentration of stake-holes in the south of the site.

The development is located within a rich prehistoric landscape. The Brehon’s Chair portal tomb is located 28m east of the site. Excavations carried out by Valerie Keeley to the north of the tomb had revealed a wide scatter of features accompanied by fine and coarse pottery and a wide range of lithic artefacts dating from the Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age (JIA V, 1989–90, 74; Excavations 1985, No. 27; Excavations 1986, No. 26; Excavations 1987, No. 16). Excavations to the north and east of the tomb carried out by Rob Lynch in 1998 (Excavations 1998, No. 222, 96E0091) revealed a wide range of archaeological features dating from the Neolithic to the Early Christian period.

32 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2