2025:106 - Watery Lane, Swords, Dublin

Test excavations were undertaken on a brownfield site, c. 0.2ha in extent. Trenches were evenly spaced, given the constraints of the site, to assess its general archaeological potential. The constraints on the site comprised a modern shed, storage container, grassed-over concrete surfaces, sub-surface water and electricity services, and a spoil mound in the south-western corner. Three trenches were excavated and revealed that the site was much disturbed from activity in the previous decades. Removal of a sod layer contaminated with frequent concrete, structural stone and brick inclusions exposed solid concrete surfaces in places that suggested the site was utilized as some type of storage yard or light industrial or commercial space. Underlying the concrete surfaces, where different phases of construction were identified in one trench, a redeposited subsoil layer was identified. With a depth 0.3-0.7m, it was deeper in the south-eastern corner of the site. It contained 19th- or 20th-century pottery sherds including porcelain-like material, black glazed earthenwares and stonewares. No plastic or other very recent material was identified in this layer and it is thought that it likely accumulated in the latter half of the 19th century or first part of the 20th century, possibly reflecting the changes in the plot at the eastern side of the site, which saw three phases of rebuilding between 1843 and 1941 as depicted on the historic OS maps. The undisturbed natural subsoil, F3, was exposed 0.5-1m below the current ground level.

No features, finds or deposits of archaeological significance was identified during the course of testing.