County: Dublin Site name: STEPHENSTOWN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 08E375 ext.
Author: James Kyle, with Faith Bailey, Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd, 120b Greenpark Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow.
Site type: Early medieval activity
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 719061m, N 762511m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.598913, -6.201201
Archaeological investigations were undertaken within the townland of Stephenstown, Balbriggan, following on from recommendations made within a landscape conservation report carried out by Faith Bailey in December 2008. Recommendations were made in relation to proposed landscaping and reinstatement works surrounding an archaeological site, which was initially discovered during geophysical survey of the site in 2007 (licence 07R11 and 07R158). The main part of this complex is characterised by a large bivallate ringfort, with an outer enclosing ditch and associated field system. This particular part of the site will be preserved in situ, in lands that will be exempt from development.
The landscape conservation report identified three areas of archaeological potential that may be adversely impacted on during the proposed reinstatement works. As a result, it was recommended that archaeological investigation of these areas be carried out prior to the works going ahead as well as archaeological monitoring of the reinstatement works. Investigation commenced on site on 2 February and lasted for six days. The archaeological investigations confirmed that a number of potential archaeological features have been directly impacted on by modern agricultural practices along with the insertion of a large electricity pylon. The remains of a truncated souterrain passage and a number of ditches (including the large outer enclosing ditch) associated with the bivallate ringfort were recorded within the exposed earth sections. Agricultural practices in this area have led to the loss of between 60m and 120m of the outer enclosing ditch and possibly in the region of 20–25% of the original archaeological complex.
Those features identified within the lands exempt from development (souterrain passage and a number of ditches) were covered with terram prior to the reinstatement of the former ground level in this area. Potential features, including part of the outer enclosing ditch, identified to the immediate north of the exempted lands, are located within zoned industrial lands. These features were also covered in terram prior to backfilling but may be subject to excavation in the future.
