2019:238 - Mooretown, Swords, Dublin

The site is within a wider landscape of sub-surface archaeological remains - most notably the early medieval ecclesiastical site, DU11-144001, immediately adjacent to the west. The site was included in a wider geophysical survey and test-excavation in May 2004 (Halliday 2004, Licence number 04E0543) revealing no archaeological features in the eastern field that is subject to this residential development.
The overall aim of the excavation was to excavate any archaeological features identified during the monitoring (under licence no 18E0718 though completed prior to issuing of the licence) of the topsoil strip of the development site. The monitoring identified an irregular linear feature that excavation ultimately revealed to be a large north-south running ditch, C34, with a linked series of other linear features and pits extending to the south. The large ditch C.34 extended to the north beyond the site boundary and like the other features had been obscured by soil creep from the higher ground to the east. A smaller curvilinear ditch C07 ran to the south linking the ditch C34 to a pit C14. This pit C14 had a prominent north-eastern side and corner but at the point the ditch C07 abutted it and onwards along its southern and western margin the cut of the pit comprised only a shallow, almost imperceptible, break of slope. Further to the south lay a wide but shallow north-south orientated linear feature C03. Its eastern, upslope margin was more prominent but elsewhere the edge of the cut was shallow, suggestive of a possible natural feature. To the north of pit C14 lay C24 and to the west C17, two shallow pits primarily demarcated from C14 by faint breaks of slope. Finally, to the south-west of pit C17 lay a shallow linear feature C36 that petered out to the south-west. The clustering of pits C14, C17 and C24 with abutting ditches C7 and C36, their similarity of fills and no identified evidence for cutting suggest contemporaneity in use. Pending the completion of environmental analysis comprising charcoal, charred seed and animal bone assemblages any interpretation of the features is tentative. However, the features present and the composition of their fills are typical of the surviving evidence found on other early medieval enclosures. They represent activity associated with the mixed economy of this period.

Reference:
Halliday, S. 2004 ‘Report on Archaeological Testing. Mooretown, Swords, Co. Dublin, Licence no. 04E0543’. Unpublished report prepared by Arch-Tech Ltd. on behalf of Cannon & Kirk.

Archer Heritage Planning, 8 Beat Centre, Stephenstown, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin.