2007:544 - LUAS B1 DEVELOPMENT, Sandyford to Cherrywood Extension, Dublin

Intermittent monitoring of groundworks associated with the LUAS B1 development was carried out by a team of up to four archaeologists between March and October 2007. The development extends for 7.6km between Sandyford and Cherrywood in County Dublin, crossing the townlands of Tipperstown, Carmanhall/Leopardstown, Murphystown, Kilgobbin, Ballyogan, Jamestown, Carrickmines Little, Brenanstown, Laughanstown and Cherrywood. Groundworks were monitored across c. 3.9km, or c. 51% of the proposed route, in previously undeveloped greenfield, or areas considered to be of higher archaeological potential.

The development extends through the constraint areas of three sites listed in the Record of Monuments and Places: the remains of a medieval tower-house at Murphystown (DU023–025), a possible enclosure near Ballyogan (of which no visible traces remain) (DU026–001) and the site of an 18th-century military encampment at Laughanstown (DU026–127). Pre-development testing during 2006 (Excavations 2006, No. 565, Ballyogan [06E0213]; No. 570, Brenanstown [06E0214], No. 668, Laughanstown [06E0944] and No. 678, Murphystown [06E0227]) investigated and resolved all archaeological features within the affected sections of the development corridor well in advance of the start of construction groundworks.

Monitoring identified two sites of archaeological significance, twelve sites deemed to be of limited importance and one potential site resolved as not archaeologically significant. All archaeologically significant features were fully excavated. Investigation and excavation of these minor sites was carried out under the licence 07E0095.

The most significant site exposed during monitoring was in Brenanstown townland (NGR 322854 224010). This site was called ‘Brenanstown Site 3’ to distinguish it from two sites previously identified and excavated within the same townland. The features exposed at Brenanstown Site 3 consisted of a concentration of fourteen individual pits, post- and stake-holes centred on a shallow pit or ‘hearth’. The features extended across an area of c. 35m2 across the development wayleave. The features may be the remains of a structure. Finds recovered included 99 undecorated pottery fragments of likely Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age date, three fragments of flint debitage, a single flint thumbnail scraper and a possible quartz arrowhead.

The second site of archaeological significance, Kilgobbin Site 1, was discovered near the boundary of Kilgobbin and Jamestown townlands, in a flat, slightly marshy field immediately to the south of the Ballyogan Road. The features were contained within c. 280m2 of the development corridor. The archaeology consisted of two possible roadside boundary ditches extending roughly parallel to Ballyogan Road. The linear ditches were fairly narrow and very shallow, 60m long, 1.4m wide and 0.3m deep; one apparent modern ditch was not excavated. One small sherd of pottery, possible late medieval in date but too small to be positively identified, was recovered from within the second ditch; this may have been residual. Two small subcircular pits exposed adjacent to the south-east of the two ditches measured 0.9–1.03m in maximum diameter and 0.45m in maximum depth. A possible metalled surface was exposed immediately to the east. The exposed section measured 7m in length, 6m in width and 0.1m deep. A single flint core recovered within the surface is likely to be residual. A possible wall foundation trench was exposed immediately east of this surface. This was truncated at the western end by a modern pipe trench cutting through the area from north to south.

The remains of a gatepost and granite boundary wall to the north would strongly suggest that the features exposed at Kilgobbin 1 were components of an entranceway and early field system bounding the Ballyogan Road. The small complex of features has been provisionally interpreted as an entrance/exit from the now disused Larkfield Farm on to the Ballyogan Road, perhaps dating to the 18th–19th century.

Unit 4A, Dundrum Business Park, Dundrum, Dublin 14