County: Dublin Site name: Cherryhound, Spricklestown and Killamonan, County Dublin
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 21E0839
Author: David Bayley-Director
Site type: Enclosure(s)
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 709586m, N 743732m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.432287, -6.350853
Archaeological testing was undertaken to study the impact, if any, on the archaeological and historical resource of a proposed development which is located at Cherryhound, Co. Dublin. Two phases of testing were carried out by David Bayley of IAC Archaeology in December 2021 and May 2022 under Licence 21E0839.
Archaeological testing carried out in December 2021 (Phase 1) followed a geophysical survey report carried out by Target Geophysics in October 2021 under Licence 21R0254 which identified three possible enclosures. This phase targeted these geophysical anomalies to investigate the archaeological potential of the site. Of the three possible enclosures described in the geophysics report the largest feature was found to relate to a possible rectilinear enclosure and may relate to a former boundary; the second is inconclusive; and the third has been confirmed as non-archaeological. Testing revealed four areas of archaeological significance, which have been designated as Archaeological Areas 1-4 (AA1–4).
• AA1 is defined by a possible rectilinear enclosure, formed by two ditches spaced c. 8m apart and c. 200m long (identified in Geophysics); ditches extend from the outer enclosure ditch and may be part of an extended field system. The area of AA1 includes the possible second enclosure identified in the geophysical survey, testing of this feature was inconclusive with some evidence that it may at least in part be drainage related; however, an archaeological origin was not completely ruled out.
• AA2: An isolated pit
• AA3: Five linear features
• AA4a & b: Five other linear features of archaeological potential were identified in the northern part of the site. Given the proximity of the adjacent excavation associated with the M2 (DU011-093; 03E1360ext) it is possible that the features in AA4a/Anomaly 13 are associated with (DU011-093).
Archaeological testing (Phase 2) was carried out in May 2022 by David Bayley of IAC Archaeology. No features of archaeological relevance were found in the northwest area of the site, which seems to have been stripped previously and possibly used as a compound for previous phases of development, as terram was noted lying directly on natural subsoil with clause 804 grade stone placed on top of that. In the southeast of the site, up to 1.40m of imported material was deposited on the site, including builder’s rubble.
c/o IAC Ltd, Unit G1 Network Enterprise Park, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow
