2018:107 - Portrane Demesne, Dublin

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Dublin Site name: Portrane Demesne

Sites and Monuments Record No.: DU012-009001 / DU012-009002 Licence number: 17E0210

Author: Red Tobin / RedArc Consulting Ltd

Site type: Monitoring / fieldwalking

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 724645m, N 750522m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.489931, -6.121667

This licence covers the ongoing monitoring of the National Forensic Mental Health Services Hospital development on the St Ita’s Hospital Campus in Portrane, Co Dublin. Primarily the topsoil strip corresponds to the footprint of the development footprint. Topsoil removal commenced on 8 May 2017. On that day a burnt mound / spread was unearthed (later fully excavated under licence 17E0377). Topsoil removal continued over the whole site with a prehistoric cist and associated features being identified along the southern limit of the development site (later fully excavated under licence 17E0303).
17E0210 was extended to cover monitoring for the construction of a Japanese Knotweed Bund to the north of St Kenny’s Well and Chapel (site of) (DU012-009001 and 009002). This monitoring exercise also included the construction of a temporary haul road to service the Bund.
17E0210 was further extended to include the systematic field walking of the coastal fields following a programme of ploughing, harrowing and a period of weathering. This exercise was to retrieve lithics / artefacts in advance of the fields being utilised for the disposal and spreading of subsoil from the development site and the ultimate seeding of the fields as natural habitats and areas of afforestation.

Further licence extensions may be required in 2018 and until the completion of the project.

35 Brook Meadow, Avoca, Co Wicklow