2020:054 - MetroLink Area 1 – Estuary Park & Ride, Lissenhall Little/Balheary Demesne, Swords, Dublin

A programme of Advance Targeted Archaeological Test Excavations was carried out at MetroLink Licence Area 1: Estuary Park & Ride, Lissenhall Little/Balheary Demesne, Swords, Co. Dublin in January 2020. The site is located in the townlands of Lissenhall Little and Balheary Demesne, west of the R132 road and south of the proposed Swords Western Ring Road. The work was carried out on behalf of Transport Infrastructure Ireland as part of the MetroLink programme of archaeological investigations, the results of which informed the preparation of an Environmental Impact Assessment Report for the preferred route.

There are two Recorded Monuments and Places within or immediately adjacent to the designated area, (DU011-131---- enclosure and DU011-081---- bridge). DU011-131---- is an enclosure in the townland of Lissenhall Little that was identified by the National Monuments Service through analysis of aerial photography, while DU011-081---- is Lissenhall Bridge National Monument, which crosses over the Broadmeadow River. It also forms part of the boundary between the townlands of Balheary Demesne and Lissenhall Great. This bridge is also a Protected Structure (RPS 341) and is listed in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (Reg. No. 11335019). Prior to this archaeological assessment a geophysical and ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey were undertaken as a component of advance MetroLink Works (Licence 08R0117, Thébaudeau & Harrison 2009; Licence 18R0196, Gimson & Garner 2019). The Advance Targeted Archaeological Test Excavations strategy was designed to assess the archaeological nature of high potential anomalies detected during these earlier surveys.

The site was tested between 8 and 13 January 2020. It was subdivided into three separate areas, Area 1A in the north-eastern corner, Area 1B along the western side (assessing DU011-131----) and Area 1C in the southern part, 50m west of Lissenhall Bridge National Monument. Thirty-one test trenches were excavated in total with a combined length of 847m. Twenty-two of these were excavated throughout Area 1A (totalling 442m) and nine in Area 1C (totalling 405m). No testing took place in Area 1B as the lands were under crop and not available.

In Area 1A the advance test excavations confirmed the presence of an enclosure or ring ditch that defined the summit of a small ridge in the southern extent of the testing area. This enclosure was previously identified in the geophysical survey (Gimson & Garner 2019) and was oval in shape measuring 46m north-east/south-west by 36m externally and defined by a single ditch that was located on the break of slope of the low ridge on which the site was located. An additional ditch extended north-westwards from the northern part of the enclosure and may represent an annexe or attached field on the northern slope of the hill. The enclosure was heavily disturbed by a large watermain aligned south-west to north-east that cut through the eastern half of the site. No evidence was recovered during the test excavations for an entrance but there may be a suggestion of one along the west side on the geophysical survey where the ditch appears as a much fainter anomaly. The ditch ranged in width from 0.77m to 1.6m and in depth from 0.38m to 0.65m with only two fills evident. A number of smaller features were also identified in the immediate vicinity of the enclosure including a small charcoal spread, a possible pit and a small narrow linear feature, but for the most part features were noticeably absent from the interior.

No finds were recovered but a number of the ditch fills were sampled and produced datable material in the form of charcoal and animal bone. A number of other geophysical anomalies not associated with the enclosure were identified throughout the remainder of Area 1A and the test trenches confirmed these not to be of archaeological origin.

In Area 1C the test trenches were designed to target several geophysical anomalies and also the proximity to two recently identified sites (through aerial photography) just outside the site boundary to the west, which consist of a possible tree ring and possible enclosure. Two ditches were identified within the footprint of the proposed development and produced pottery of 19th/20th-century date. Both are aligned with a demesne landscape boundary element indicated on the first edition 6 inch OS map and later 25 inch OS map and define a tree belt around the demesne. No archaeological features were exposed.

A number of environmental samples from the various ditch fills produced charcoal and animal bone and it is recommended that two of these be radiocarbon dated in order to more fully understand the nature and date of the features exposed.

References:
Gimson, H. & Garner, U. 2019. St. Stephen’s Green to Lissenhall, MetroLink, Dublin: Archaeological Geophysical Survey. Unpublished report prepared by Earthsound Geophysics for Jacobs Engineering.

Thébaudeau, B. & Harrison, D. 2009. Geophysical Survey Report: Metro North, Belinstown to St Stephen's Green Dublin, Licence No. 08R0117. Unpublished report prepared by Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd for Railway Procurement Agency.

Archaeological Consultancy Services Unit, Unit 21 Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth