2021:581 - AA5 Ballalease North, Donabate, Dublin

The features excavated at Ballalease North AA5 represent settlement activity from the Early Medieval period. The features comprised four pits, one of which was connected to a curvilinear channel, and a second short linear channel. Artefacts retrieved from the excavation included late medieval pottery from the topsoil and a series of flint artefacts from both features and the clean-back of the site. A fragment of charcoal from one of the larger pits returned a radiocarbon date of 1030-1160 cal. 2ẟ AD (UBA 48272; 942 +/- 25 BP) likely placing activity here in the latter part of the Early Medieval period. Copious amounts of charred seeds were retrieved from the bulk soil samples taken from the larger pits and connected curvilinear channel. This would suggest that the pits and channel may represent the remains of a cereal-drying kiln or kilns. No in situ oxidised soil was identified in the cuts and insufficient material was retrieved from bulk soil samples for a meaningful charcoal analysis; it appears more convincing that the charred seeds accumulated as waste material from nearby kilns.

Unit 1 Tenure Business Park, Monasterboice, Drogheda, Co. Louth A92 K2VF