2010:289 - Priorsland, Dublin

Monitoring of the excavation of five geotechnical inspection pits was undertaken at the site of Priorsland, Brennanstown, Dublin, in November 2010. The site, which is due to be developed as a temporary park-and-ride facility for the Luas Green Line, is situated in the lands of Priorstown House, c. 270m east of Carrickmines Castle (DU026–005). Several phases of archaeological investigations have previously been undertaken at this site in recent years, commencing with a phase of test excavations by Abi Cryerhall in 2005 (05E0010). A geophysical survey was undertaken in 2007 (Harrison 2007; licence 07R0115) and monitoring of topsoil clearance associated with the diversion of a culvert was undertaken by William O. Frazer in 2008 (Excavations 2008, No. 375, C196; E3284). A second phase of test excavations within the site of the park-and-ride and targeting the results of the previous geophysical survey was undertaken by Richard Clutterbuck in November 2009 (Excavations 2009, No. 293, C329; E4059). Potential isolated archaeological features were identified in three test-trenches comprising two post-holes and a ditch. These features were preserved in situ.
The current phase of monitoring was carried out under an extension to the original ministerial consent (C196). Five inspection pits were excavated across the site of the proposed park-and-ride and its associated access road, in advance of large-scale topsoil clearance. The inspection pits were positioned at locations which would not impact on the potential archaeological features identified by the previous testing. Each inspection pit was 1m long by 1m wide and was excavated by track machine to an average depth 0.7m in order to cleanly expose the underlying subsoil. No features or stratigraphy of an archaeological nature were identified.
Large-scale topsoil clearance associated with the construction of the park-and-ride facility is expected to commence in April 2011.