County: Dublin Site name: Stephenstown
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 07E0847
Author: Rob Lynch with Faith Bailey, Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd, 120B Greenpark Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow.
Site type: Early medieval
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 719061m, N 762511m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.598913, -6.201201
Testing was carried out on 5 September 2007 within part of the RMP constraint surrounding DU005–052 (a souterrain and enclosure), located within the proposed Techcrete Holdings Ltd development site at Stephenstown, Balbriggan. Six trenches were mechanically investigated across the test area. Nothing of archaeological significance was discovered during this programme of testing, although geophysical survey (Licence 07R11) associated with the proposed Balbriggan relief road (Phase 5), which will border the site to the north, with a proposed distribution road to the west, has discovered the location of a large enclosure to the immediate south-west of the Techcrete development area. This has been interpreted as a possible early medieval monastic enclosure.
Due to the close proximity of significant archaeological deposits, it was recommended that the removal of the remaining topsoil within the test area be monitored. This work took place on 25 September 2007 and resulted in the discovery of a number of isolated pits of possible archaeological significance. Excavation was then undertaken during October 2007.
A total of six isolated pits were excavated across the original test area, some of which exhibited signs of in situ burning. Although it is intended to obtain 14C dates for some of these features, it is likely that they are associated with the early medieval activity represented by the large enclosure to the immediate south-west of the development area. The presence of the outlying ditches associated with the enclosure was confirmed during testing by Fintan Walsh (see No. 445 above). A section of the ditch is currently being excavated by Helen Kavanagh (see No. 549 below).
