County: Dublin Site name: Mount Eden Road, Donnybrook, Dublin 4
Sites and Monuments Record No.: NA Licence number: 21E0434
Author: Philip Quilty, Archaeology Plan Ltd
Site type: Monitoring, Medieval/Post Medieval
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 717184m, N 731735m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.322889, -6.241017
Montoring took place at Mount Eden Road, Donnybrook, Dublin 4 within the footprint of a proposed primary school within an area of high archaeological potential. Works took place between June and December of 2021
The site is located on lands totalling 0.52 ha in size; it is bounded on its east and north sides by Mount Eden Road and adjoining private dwellings. To the south, it is separated by a boundary from Muckross Park College. To the west, its boundary is directly adjacent to the Dominican convent. On the east side at Mount Eden Road, the site is bounded by a low brick and stone wall topped by an iron railing and there is a wrought iron gated entrance to the grounds. Tarmac pathways lead east-west and north-south from the gated entrance to the grounds from Mount Eden Road.
During works to the south-west of the northern boundary of the development, a ditch (C003) measuring 1.8m wide and between 300mm and 1.1m deep, was encountered below 17th/18th-century deposits. It was filled with a pale yellow clay (004) containing charred animal bone. This layer is preceded by a mid-grey silt (005), containing charcoal flecks. Below this was a layer of soft yellow clay (006).
The size, extent and shape of the ditch looks to be of medieval or early medieval in date and the fact that the context is sealed by a deposit of 17th-century material, might indicate that it is associated with a small enclosure, possibly a burgage plot. Ongoing analysis may provide a date. The outermost early medieval ecclesiastical enclosure (DU-03579) founded in the 8th century by Domnach-Broc, should lie to the east of this enclosure. This was not located and may be just outside the current footprint of the development.
The curvilinear feature encountered during monitoring works may be similar to the one encountered to the north at Brookvale Road (95E0116) by Cia McConway. This was interpreted as a kind of animal enclosure or land boundary. The feature at the present site at Mount Eden Road shares similar characteristics with the one found by Conway. It was sealed by a layer of 17th- to 19th-century domestic waste and contained only charred animal bone and charcoal-flecked yellowish brown clay. It is possible that these features are related to medieval burgage plots and may be associated with the habitation of ‘Walter De Riddleford's Men of Donnybrook’ in the 12th century.
32 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2
