County: Dublin Site name: Robswall, Malahide
Sites and Monuments Record No.: DU012-032 (vicinity of) Licence number: 16E0228
Author: Declan Moore
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 723148m, N 745346m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.443792, -6.146240
Moore Group was commissioned by Tobin Consulting Engineers to carry out a programme of archaeological testing at a proposed reservoir development at Malahide, Co. Dublin. Fingal County Council in a pre-planning report required that a 2007 archaeological assessment undertaken by Declan Moore, of Moore Group (Licence no. 06E0609) be updated in light of more recent archaeological investigations within the grounds of the nearby Seamount House. These investigations exposed a prehistoric landscape comprising a ring ditch, features containing flint tools and Bronze Age pottery, as well as the remains of an early medieval farmstead including a defined circular enclosure (ringfort) and an unenclosed activity area used for processing shells, animal remains and charcoal (excavations.ie 2014:141).
The proposed development site is located near a 19th-century quarry and within the former grounds of Malahide Golf Club. Three test trenches were excavated. This second phase of testing took place in bright and dry conditions on 18 May 2016 using a JCB with a 1.2m-wide ditching bucket. This regime concentrated on excavating three test trenches along a proposed access way from the existing facility at Seamount Drive north-east towards the proposed reservoir.
The area is greenfield dotted with clusters of pine trees, with informal paths used by local pedestrians to criss-cross between housing estates to the north and south. The trees were planted during the lifetime of the golf course to line fairways and create hazards. Based on historic mapping the site of the reservoir was formerly used as a quarry from the mid-19th century onwards. A trigonometry station is also marked on both the OS 6” & later 25” map. From a review of available ortho-photography the area has seen considerable disturbance in recent years. The immediate area of the proposed access slopes upwards from the south-west to the north-east, past a copse of trees.
Three test trenches were excavated with a cumulative length of 68m. The trenches were 1.2m wide and dug to an average depth of 0.3m exposing a mid-brown subsoil overlying a grey brown compact clay with bedrock. No finds, features or materials of archaeological potential were exposed.
Moore Group, Corporate House Ballybrit Business Park Galway
