2015:043 - Mooretown, Swords, Dublin

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Dublin Site name: Mooretown, Swords

Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 13E0366

Author: Gill McLoughlin

Site type: Undated pit and ditches

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 715962m, N 748113m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.470276, -6.253335

Archaeological monitoring was carried out on behalf of Gannon Properties for a proposed distributor road at Mooretown, Swords, Co. Dublin (Planning Ref.F12A/0270). These works follow on from archaeological testing and geophysical survey in 2008 and an Archaeological Impact Assessment Report carried out by Courtney Deery Heritage Consultancy in 2012 in response to a request for further information from An Bord Pleanála.

The site is located approximately 1.5km northwest of Swords, Co. Dublin and is bounded by the Rathbeale Road (R125) to the north, existing housing developments to the east and south and by agricultural land to the west. The aim of the archaeological monitoring was primarily to uncover, define and investigate areas of archaeological potential identified during testing carried out in 2008, with a view to formulating an excavation methodology.

Archaeological monitoring took place in two phases. Phase 1 involved monitoring of geotechnical test pits and soak away pits in July 2014 and Phase 2 involved monitoring of topsoil stripping along the route of the proposed road and investigation of potential archaeological features uncovered. Phase 2 took place from May-July 2015. Following monitoring of topsoil stripping a team of three archaeologists investigated features identified during monitoring, including those identified during testing in 2008 as being of archaeological potential. All of the features identified in testing were sectioned and recorded and none of these features proved to be of archaeological significance. A ditch thought to be a possible millrace in testing, proved to be a linear ditch oriented west-southwest – east-northeast and there was no evidence to suggest that it was related to the mill located to the east (DU011-145) and it may simply represent a former field boundary. It does however remain a possibility that this ditch could represent a millrace and this should be kept in mind when further areas to the east are being stripped of topsoil in the future.

In addition to the features identified during testing a sub-oval pit containing charcoal and burnt stone was identified and represented a trough most likely to have been associated with a ploughed out burnt mound. The pit was located in a low-lying area of the field likely to have been a wet area in the past.

c/o Courtney Deery Heritage Consultancy, Lynwood House, Ballinteer Road, Dublin 16