2009:287 - BALLYSTRUAN/BALLYMUN, Dublin

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Dublin Site name: BALLYSTRUAN/BALLYMUN

Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 09E0479

Author: William O. Fraser and James Hession, c/o Headland Archaeology (Ireland) Ltd, Unit 1, Wallingstown Business Park, Little Island, Cork.

Site type: Burnt-mound spread and pits

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 715404m, N 738649m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.385390, -6.265200

Testing as part of the advance works on the proposed route of the Metro North light rail project was carried out on behalf of the Railway Procurement Agency. For the purposes of these works the Metro North route was subdivided into fourteen testing areas. Testing Area 11 was located in Ballystruan and Ballymun townlands, Co. Dublin, on the footprint of the Dradistown Stop and park-and-ride facility.

Testing of Area 11 was carried out on 13 October 2009 and 14 and 15 January 2010. A total of 39 test-trenches were excavated in three fields and two areas of archaeological significance were identified.
Ballymun 1
A burnt spread consisting of a broadly oval-shaped deposit of dark-black sandy silt with frequent inclusions of heat-shattered burnt stones was identified. The exposed burnt spread measured c. 5m by 7.5m (north–south) by 0.3m deep. A possible ditch or field boundary was identified to the west of the burnt spread. It was linear in plan and measured 1.85m in width and was excavated to a depth of 0.5m. A linear feature (possible slot-trench) was identified 1m to the east of the burnt-spread material. It measured 0.2m in width and was filled by black silty charcoal-stained clay. A possible ditch was located 0.5m to the east of this. It was linear in plan and measured 22m in length by 2m in width. A curvilinear feature was located to the north of the burnt spread. It measured 3m in length by 0.5m in width and had two distinct fills.
Ballymun 2
The site consisted of four possible pits and a linear feature. No dating evidence was recovered from the identified features. However, the feature fills generally comprised black charcoal-stained silty clay with inclusions of heat-affected stone. This could indicate that the site may represent a burnt mound.