2019:265 - CAPPOGE, Dublin 11, Dublin

The site comprises agricultural lands to the north-west of Cappagh Road bounded by mature hedgerows in a relatively level landscape. A geophysical survey was undertaken by Johanna Leigh Surveys for portions of the site. In the north-western field, the northern portion of an oval enclosure was identified, the southern portion not being covered by the survey. This enclosure corresponded to a crop-mark identified from Google maps while to the north-east and north-west of the enclosure two areas of possible archaeological interest were identified. It was proposed to excavate 10 trenches using a 16-tonne tracked excavator with a 2m grading bucket. The trenches were targeted on assessing the archaeological potential of the general area with two trenches in the north-west to investigate the features highlighted by the geophysical survey and aerial photography.

Topsoil was between 0.2–0.4m in depth with a shallow plough-zone of 0.1–0.2m present in most places. Subsoil primarily comprised a grey and brown boulder clay with areas of light grey and yellow boulder clay elsewhere. Two areas of archaeological interest were identified, Area 1 and Area 2, both of which corresponded to anomalies identified in the geophysical survey.

Area 1
A shallow ditch, F1, was identified in Trenches 1 and 2. This corresponded to anomalies identified in the geophysical survey and to the crop-mark known from aerial photography and suggests an enclosure measuring 94m north-east/south-west with an estimated extent of c. 80–90m. While no datable artefacts were retrieved from the test-excavations, its size and form suggests an early medieval (500–1169 AD) date. The shallow nature of the enclosure ditch would suggest that only highly truncated remains survive. The enclosure is located around the crest of a slight east-west running ridge with the ground gently falling away to the south, east and north from the centre of the enclosure in an otherwise relatively level landscape. A series of linear features (F4 and F10) and pits (F6 and F8) located within the enclosure may be associated with the range of mixed farming activities expected from such a site.

Area 2
In the north-eastern part of Trench 1 the remains of a burnt mound/fulacht fiadh were identified and corresponded to anomalies from the geophysical survey. Three extensions to the trench were excavated, c. 22 linear metres, to establish the extent of the archaeological site. The identified archaeological material, F12, comprised typical burnt mound material of a charcoal-stained loose stoney sandy clay, c. 50% of the stones being heat-affected, and measured 15.5m north-east/south-west x 13.38m and two test slots revealed a depth of 0.05–0.1m. No other typical features such as troughs or pits were identified though it is likely that they may be concealed beneath the mound material, F12.