2018:881 - Turvey Avenure, Beaverstown, Donabate, Dublin

Phased archaeological monitoring of topsoil removal was carried out at a large residential development site on the west edge of the Donabate urban area in March, July and October 2018. This work followed on from geophysical survey and pre-development testing at the site in 2014 and previous phases of archaeological monitoring of topsoil removal in 2014, 2015 and 2017 (2014:493, 2015:393 & 2017:718). There are no recorded monuments on or within the immediate vicinity of the development site, the nearest being the medieval church and tower house at Donabate (DU012-005) c.500m to the south-east and the 18th/19th-century house at Newbridge Demesne (DU012-060) c.400m to the south-west. 2018 saw excavations move into the west extent of the larger of the two fields in the north of the development site. The stratigraphy generally comprised of 0.2-0.4m of grey/brown clayey silt topsoil over light orange/brown and grey/brown sandy/silty clay subsoil. The upper 0.1-0.2m of the subsoil was disturbed as a result of previous cultivation and, like the topsoil, contained occasional inclusions of post-medieval/modern pottery sherds and animal bone fragments. As with all previous phases of monitoring at the site, there were also occasional inclusions of white flint stones. The only features uncovered were modern land drains, consisting of east-west linear cuts (Wth. 0.2m; D 0.2m) filled with medium-sized cobbles, and smaller trenches containing corrugated red earthenware pipes (diam. 0.1) set in beds of small cobbles. No archaeology was found.

Dominic Delany & Associates, Creganna, Oranmore, Co. Galway