2024:601 - RATHCOOLE: Tay Lane, Dublin

Test excavations were carried out at a site at Tay Lane, Newcastle Rd., Rathcoole, Dublin (ITM 701900, 726866). The site lies adjacent to and south of N7, in the north portion of Rathcoole town. The site is part of the grounds of the Rathcoole Charter School.

The test excavations were carried out in fulfilment of Condition 3 attached to Planning Ref. No. SD22A/0342 by South Dublin County Council. Test trenching was required in order to locate the monument and inform the requested Conservation Management Plan to ensure its preservation in situ. Test excavations were also recommended by an Archaeological Desk Based Assessment (Flynn, 2022).

The site is located within the zone of notification for the Settlement cluster (DU021-030008-) and contains a monument listed in the Record of Monuments and Places as a Ritual site – holy well (DU021-030004-). The well is recorded within the northwestern portion of the site and depicted as St Bridget’s Well on the 1843 and 1909 maps. The SMR file notes that the monument was filled by the Local Authority with no visible surface remains present. The monument could not be located during a previous site visit. A little basin was located along Tay Lane and was known locally as St. Bridget’s Well, but it is no longer present. However, based on the examined mapping and the SMR description, the water was piped from the well into a little basin on the roadside. The well itself is registered as located in the northwest corner of the site but has no surface expression. There are no Protected Structures as listed in the South Dublin County Development Plan 2022- 2028 or sites listed in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) located within the site.

However, the site is adjacent to and north of the Architectural Conservation Area of Rathcoole (ACA001) and the plot with Rectory/Glebe House (RPS Ref. No. 313; NIAH Reg No. 11213013). The examined aerial imagery suggests that the southern portion of the site was used as a yard with areas gravelled and under concrete. A small dwelling within the northeast corner of the site can be seen on the 1995 aerial since demolished. The site is overgrown.

Seven test trenches were mechanically excavated by a 13-ton mechanical excavator and monitored at all times by the licence holder in October 2024. These trenches targeted both the footprint of the proposed development as well as the expected location of the holy well. One trench at the western end of the site (Trench 4) could not be dug due to the presence of new concrete foundations. This also impacted the length of Trench 1 at the north end of the site.

The programme of test trenches found that most of the site had been previously disturbed with many areas containing pits of modern domestic and construction waste. Trench 7 at the south end was found to contain a modern plastic drainpipe with an associated trench orientated east-west.

Trench 8 targeted the location of the holy well monument (DU021-030004). However, no trace of the well was found. Similar to the rest of the site, it was evident that the ground had been subject to previous disturbances in the recent past.

No archaeological deposits or features were found on the site, and no further mitigation is required for the north, south and east sides of the site. However, it is recommended that an area at the west end (around Trenches 8 and 5) be archaeologically monitored to ensure any groundwork does not disturb or damage the holy well should it exist outside of the excavated trench area.