2021:103 - Aderrig, Adamstown, Dublin

Testing was undertaken at Aderrig, Adamstown, Co. Dublin on 6 and 7 May 2021 as part of the planning conditions attached to a proposed residential development.

Trench locations were chosen to fully investigate the archaeological potential of the site. However, due to the presence of stockpiles of soil and access routes, it was not possible to excavate a number of the proposed trenches as the removal of the stockpiles was ongoing at the time of testing. Six test trenches measuring 471 linear meters were investigated and did not identify anything of archaeological significance.

The test trenching showed that the site had previously been stripped of topsoil, and was then infilled with material most likely from construction sites in the surrounding areas (Plate 1). This infill was deposited directly onto natural subsoil indicating that the original sod layer had been removed. The depth of this material ranged from 0.6m to 1.9m and comprised of a mix of clay and redeposited subsoils with inclusions of boulders, stones, and construction waste including plastic ties and sheets, electrical cables, and iron bars encased in concrete. The exception to this was in the north-west of the site where the imported material appeared to consist of topsoil which was deposited on the natural subsoil and contained only a small amount of construction waste. Where the waste material exceeded 1m in depth, the trenches were excavated to a depth of c. 0.6m with test pits excavated at regular intervals to the subsoil level.

It was not possible to dig test trenches in the northern and north-eastern parts of the site, but inspection of the ground surface indicated that this area had also been infilled with material from other construction sites as with the areas that were subjected to trenching.

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