2024:669 - Rowans Big and Rowans Little, Dublin

Archaeological testing was carried out in the townlands of Rowans Big and Rowans Little, Co. Dublin. The site lies c.2.5km southwest of Balbriggan, Co. Dublin, and directly west of interchange 5 of the M1 Motorway. The application site is situated on agricultural land, consisting of pasture and arable fields, in lowland and undulating countryside (Fields 1–14). The site contains no monuments as listed in the Record of Monuments and Places or Sites and Monuments Record. The nearest known monument to the site is a ringfort (DU004-017—), located c. 260m to the north. There are no Protected Structures, as listed in the Fingal County Development Plan 2023–29, located within the site, nor are there any sites listed in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH). Cartographical sources and aerial imagery were examined as a part of the assessment of the site. The site is illustrated as a number of fields on the first edition 6-inch OS map (1836), with field boundaries added and removed by the time of the 25-inch OS map (1906). No features nor anomalies of archaeological significance were noted.
A geophysical survey was carried out in response to a request for further information, which is attached to the Planning Ref. by Fingal County Council. The geophysical survey was carried out by Donald Murphy, Robert Breen and Jeanne Rochford of Archaeological Consultancy Services Unit Ltd (ACSU) under licence 24R0386 issued by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. A full detailed gradiometer survey was undertaken throughout the application area using a Bartington GRAD 601-2 dualsensor fluxgate gradiometer cart system. Features of potential archaeological significance were recorded in Fields 2 and 5. In Field 2, along the western boundary, a faint anomaly was identified that could represent a rectangular structure or early field system. In the northern portion of Field 2, positive anomalies were identified that may represent a structure or cut features of archaeological significance. A series of positive anomalies were also identified in the south-west portion of Field 5, including linear and curvilinear anomalies and positive anomalies that may represent cut
features of archaeological significance. Features depicted on the examined Ordnance Survey mapping were also detected, including linear anomalies corresponding with former field boundaries. Linear anomalies that are not recorded field boundaries were also detected. They likely represent early field systems, drains or paths/access routes. Anomalies marked as Cultivation represent furrows/plough marks or possible land drains.
It was recommended that the anomalies identified by the geophysical survey be targeted during a programme of test trenching and that all exposed features be sufficiently sectioned to assess their depth, nature, and significance.

Test trenching was carried out in August 2024. A total of 71 trenches were excavated (Trenches 1-33, 35-69, 70A, 70B, 71), and in total, approximately 3678m of linear trenching was excavated. Three areas of archaeological significance were identified (Area A, Area B, and Area C).
Area A consisted of four features (C3-C6), which were identified in Trenches 30 and 31 and were located in the north-east corner of the proposed development. These were identified as burnt stone spreads/possible pits (C3 and C4; Trench 30), a burnt stone spread/deposit (C5; Trench 31) and a circular pit (C6; Trench 31).
Area B was located in Trenches 43 and 44 and was located in the field immediately northwest of the Walshestown roundabout. A series of burnt stone deposits (C7; Trench 43, C8; Trench 43-44, C10; Trench 44) and a burnt stone deposit/possible pit (C9; Trench 43) were identified here, one of which (C10; Trench 44) was relatively large in size and had a length of approximately 10m.
Area C was located southwest of the Walshestown roundabout and was contained within Trench 51. A number of linear features (C13, C15, C18, C20, C21), a deposit/possible ditch (C28) and a number of deposits/pit features (C11, C12, C14, C16, C17, C19, C22, C23, C24, C25, C26, C27) were identified. Animal bone was recovered from a number of the deposit/pit features (C11, C14, C16, C17, C27). Some of the linear features represented drainage features.