2024:675 - Pound Road, Dunlavin Upper, Dunlavin, Wicklow

Archaeological monitoring was conducted during Phase 1 of a development at Pound Road, Dunlavin Upper, Dunlavin, Co. Wicklow. The site was previously subject to a geophysical survey, which was conducted in March 2022 by Donald Murphy, Robert Breen and Jeanne Rochford of Archaeological Consultancy Services Unit Ltd (ACSU) under licence 22R0079 (Murphy 2022). No definite signs of archaeology were identified, however, linear, curvilinear and oval features, and small positive anomalies of potential archaeological significance were noted within the site. Subsequent archaeological test trenching was carried out in May 2022 by Ian Russell of ACSU under licence 22E0200 (Russell 2022). Ten test trenches (1,233 linear metres) were excavated down to the natural subsoil and no archaeological features or deposits were exposed or identified. Several linear features exposed represented agricultural furrows, along with a roughly north-east to south-west boundary ditch (C3) that corresponded with a field boundary depicted on the 1837 OS 6-inch map but had been removed by the time of the 1908 OS 25-inch map.
Subsequently, in September 2024, archaeological monitoring of Phase 1 of the development site was conducted under the same licence. Topsoil of mid-brown silty clay was removed to a depth ranging between 0.2m and 0.5m, exposing the natural ground, which comprised of orange-brown boulder clay. No archaeological features, deposits or artefacts were exposed. Monitoring of the topsoil stripping and groundworks of the remainder of the site (Phase 2) is scheduled to commence in Spring 2025.