2022:391 - Brennanstown/Cabinteely, (Druid’s Glen Road Project), Dublin

An archaeological licence was grant in December 2020 for the monitoring of a 300m long by 40m wide new road construction on behalf of Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. This work was scheduled to commence in January 2021, but took place between 14 February and 21 December 2022. Four locations of industrial archaeology were identified. These were 18th- to 19th-century brick works. The first consisted of the northward upcast into the road take of a brick clamp to south of the project area. It consisted of c.0.2m to 0.25m deep spread of mottled fire-reddened clay and charcoal-blackened clay deposited from the clamp. It covered a sub-rectangular area extending from the south baulk and measures 7.7m north-south by 4.9m. This was situated at ITM 723538 724386.
The second, from ITM 723356 724330 at its west end (which continued further to west beneath the north baulk), and terminated at east at ITM 723394 724336. This consisted of a loosely cobbled linear surface aligned with the east to west aspect of small public road to west of the site (Lehaunstown Lane). Residual red brick dust covered sections of the cobbled surface. It was evident that this consisted of a works access and storage area for the brick works.
The third feature at ITM 723538 724387 was orientated east to west and measured 7.6m in length and 4.2m in width. It consisted of a concentration of poor quality, porous red brick with purple staining and c. 0.25m in depth. This deposit is partially set into the east-facing slope, so that it appears as if a shelf or step of 4.2m in width has been dug into the slope in order to provide a level area that retains these bricks. There is no indication of any fire-reddened soil or charcoal-blackened deposits. As a consequence, this may be some form of storage location rather than a clamp. This feature was truncated by the junction of a north to south and east to west field boundary arrangement of later 19th-century date.
The fourth feature consisted of a clay quarry, in which marl was extracted from the east-facing slope leaving a shelf-like arrangement cut into the slope. This was subsequently infilled with poor quality and miss-fired red brick. It was evident that the brick was deposited in two phases or as the product of two different firings. One deposition was that of a very orange red crumbly brick, while the second was that of friable purple red brick. This feature was located at ITM 723489 724363. It is extended 5m to north from the south baulk at its east end. Its west end merges into the south baulk. It measures 22m east-west in length. It continued to east beneath a 4m-wide north to south dumper vehicle corridor.
The four features were excavated between 13 and 24 June under the same licence and with a revised method statement. During this work, worked flint tools of prehistoric nature were retrieved in unstratified contexts. The project is currently undergoing post-excavation work and analysis.

Dunburbeg, Clonmel Road, Cashel, Co. Tipperary