County: Dublin Site name: BALBRIGGAN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 07E0057
Author: Ruth Elliott, for The Archaeology Company, 47 White Castle Lawn, Athy, Co. Kildare.
Site type: Various
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 720300m, N 763588m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.612040, -6.214880
Testing was carried out over 90ha of residentially zoned land in north-west Balbriggan, Co. Dublin, between 19 January and 23 February 2007. A prior assessment, including extensive geophysical survey, indicated the presence of significant archaeological remains in some areas of the proposed development. The testing programme, devised in consultation with the heritage authorities, avoided areas of dense archaeological activity and focused on targeted investigation of other geophysical anomalies within the area. Within 22 fields (numbered consecutively from north to south), 38 widely varied sites were revealed. These were allocated a field number followed by a site number (e.g. Field 2, Site 1 is annotated 2/1) and are listed below.
Site 2/1. Dense pit cluster and possible curving ditches. A piece of struck flint was retrieved from one feature.
Site 2/2. Cluster of pits containing charcoal-rich fills and some burnt bone.
Site 3/1. Linear and curvilinear features, one possibly forming a 10m-diameter enclosure.
Site 3/2. Large pit.
Site 4/1. Series of ditches, possibly related to sub-square geophysical anomaly.
Site 4/2. Two ditches and pit, possibly related to sub-square geophysical anomaly.
Site 5/1. Linear and curvilinear feature.
Site 6/1. Complex of features centred on dense pit cluster. Some pits contained burnt bone.
Site 6/2. Three pits.
Site 7/1. Cluster of features comprising pits and possible structural features.
Site 8/1. Series of widely dispersed features with charcoal-rich fills.
Site 8/2. Two possible pits.
Site 8/3. Isolated pit.
Site 9/1. Linear features and pit. The pit contained burnt stone and a flint blade was found in one of the linear features.
Site 9/2. Large pit containing charcoal-enriched soil and burnt stone.
Site 10/1. Complex of linear and curvilinear features interspersed with deposits, pits and post-holes.
Site 10/2. Two pits. A flint blade was recovered from one.
Site 11/1. Series of linear and curvilinear features.
Site 11/2. Possible curvilinear slot-trench and associated features.
Site 11/3. Isolated pit.
Site 12/1. Series of isolated features.
Site 12/2. Three pits
Site 12/3. Small metalled area, two pits and a linear feature. A number of east–west ditches with an associated metalled area lay immediately south.
Site 13/1. Metalled surface.
Site 14/1. Possible pit.
Site 14/2. Possible pit.
Site 15/1. Three possible pits.
Site 15/2. Linear feature and large possible pit.
Site 16/1. Cluster of pits and associated features. One pit contained burnt bone.
Site 17/1. Burnt spread or fulacht fiadh (c. 7m by 10m and 0.4m deep) located within natural basin and overlain by extensive redeposited natural.
Site 17/2. Three peaty deposits, one possibly the fill of a curvilinear ditch.
Site 21/1. Series of possible pits, linear features, spreads and a metalled surface. The features had predominantly charcoal-rich fills with burnt-stone inclusions.
Site 21/2. Burnt spread or fulacht fiadh site (4.5m in width) with associated pit and linear feature. May have been associated with or adjoined Site 21/1.
Site 21/3. Series of pits (one containing a piece of worked flint) and a linear feature. May have adjoined or been associated with Site 21/1.
Site 22/1. Cluster of pits.
Site 22/2. Complex of pits and linear features, overlying and underlying extensive redeposited natural which contained a number of pieces of worked flint.
Site 22/3. Two possible enclosures, one circular (up to 40m in diameter) and the other subrectangular.
Site 22/4. Series of small curvilinear features and two pits.
