County: Dublin Site name: Kinsaley townland, Back Road, Malahide
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 20E0495
Author: Dermot Nelis
Site type: Enclosure, spread of burnt stone, shell spread
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 721440m, N 744680m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.438206, -6.172193
A 1995 black and white Ordnance Survey aerial photograph appeared to show the remains of a possibly partially ploughed-out previously unrecorded enclosure towards the middle of the development area. A geophysical survey (Licence 20R0151) was carried out by Joanna Leigh within the proposed development area in August 2020, and this revealed the remains of a clear curvilinear response in the same location as the feature on the aerial photograph. The geophysical survey response suggested the remains of a ditched enclosure with a possible diameter of approximately 45m.
Test trenching was carried out by Dermot Nelis and Colm Flynn between 29 September and 2 October 2020. Two archaeological features and another possible feature were identified during the test trenching programme: an enclosure (consisting of three enclosure ditches and a ditch to the south); a spread of burnt stone; and a shell spread of possible archaeological significance.
It is suggested the three enclosure ditches and the ditch to the south are contemporary and directly related. The southern ditch was interpreted as a faint trend in the geophysical survey, and given its location it may represent the southern extent of the large enclosure which is located on a slight rise in the field. If it does represent the southern end of the enclosure, it would give the monument approximate dimensions of 70m north-south x 35m (the enclosure has been truncated at its western end by construction of a modern house and a tennis court). A cow tooth was submitted to Queen’s University Belfast for radiocarbon dating. A date range of cal AD 667-824 (UBA 45020-2 sigma) was returned, with a median probability of 727 AD.
Testing revealed a possibly plough-damaged spread of burnt stone in the north-east corner of the development area. It had maximum dimensions of 3.3m north-south x 4.3m. A north-south section measuring 0.75m in length x 0.3m in width was excavated by hand, and this revealed the spread to have a maximum depth of 50mm.
A 4.1m long north-south shallow shell spread of possible archaeological significance, which extended beyond the trench to the north-east and south-west, was located towards the southern end of the development area. No archaeological artefacts were revealed in association with this feature, and it is noted it was located north of a probable field boundary and south of a modern drain.
No environmental evidence was revealed during the test trenching exercise, and no additional archaeological features or artefacts were revealed as a result of carrying out the fieldwork. With the exception of the hand-excavated sections, all archaeological features have been preserved in situ.
36 Fingal Street, Dublin 8
