County: Dublin Site name: Castleknock College, Castleknock
Sites and Monuments Record No.: DU017–013 Licence number: 07E0682 ext.
Author: Rob Lynch, Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd, 120B Greenpark Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow.
Site type: Burials
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 708777m, N 736575m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.368169, -6.365481
A programme of monitoring was carried out at Castleknock College, Dublin 15, prior to the development of a new water tank and associated pipelines. This monitoring followed testing that was carried out by Gill Mc Loughlin on behalf of CCH architects in July and August 2007 where human skeletal remains in four east–west-oriented grave-cuts were identified to the east of a stone tower (Excavations 2007, No. 440, 07E0682). This stone tower contains a water tank on the summit of a small hill in close proximity to Castleknock Castle.
The route of the pipeline was amended to avoid the area of the burials and a buffer zone was established to protect the remains. An archaeological presence was maintained throughout all subsurface works associated with construction of the new water tank and associated pipelines on dates between 30 July and 5 September 2008. The pipe trenches were on average 1m deep and 0.4m wide.
A north–south pipe trench leading to the existing water tank was located immediately west of the buffer zone, and 5.7m south of the water tank human remains were encountered comprising the radius, ulna and one metacarpal of an individual. The bones were left in situ and were covered with a layer of the geotextile terram and backfilled with gravel. This pipe trench was adjacent to an existing pipeline and it is likely that these remains had been previously disturbed. The pipe trench was moved 1.5m to the west. However, 6m south of the water tank further human remains were identified. In this case the top of a skull protruding from the side of the trench was truncated. It is likely that the existing pipe trench would also have truncated this burial. The remains were protected with terram and excavation of the pipeline recommenced 0.4m to the west of the discovery.
A small quantity of medieval pottery sherds was recovered at the base of the hill to the south-east of the college buildings, c. 40m to the west of College Road. The sherds were associated with what appeared to be a ditch. The pipe trench was just 0.4m wide and the trench cut across this possible feature at an angle so it is difficult to be certain about the nature of this feature, which appeared to be oriented east–west.
