2025:539 - Laughanstown Wedge Tomb, Dublin

A programme of archaeological monitoring was carried out during the removal of vegetation from Laughanstown Wedge Tomb (RMP DU026-024, National Monument Ref.: 216). All work was undertaken at the monument over the course of two days in February 2025.

Laughanstown Wedge Tomb is located within the Cherrywood Strategic Development Zone, adjacent to the R118 Wyattville Link Road and M50, in the townland of Laughanstown, parish of Tully, barony of Rathdown, Co. Dublin.

The wedge tomb is designated as a National Monument in State Ownership (Nat. Mon. 216) and the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Development Plan lists the site as a Protected Structure. It is described in the Sites and Monuments Record as “a roughly oval cairn, (L 14m W 12m H 1.2m), orientated roughly east–west”. It was also noted that while the top of the mound had been subject to disturbance, the cairn was largely intact with kerb stones noted around the periphery. As such, Laughanstown Wedge Tomb has been subject to historic collapse and the cairn noted in the 1840s OS map is reputed to have been removed by quarrying to account for the disturbance to the apex of the mound.

The monument was previously subject to vegetation clearance in 2016 under the same Ministerial Consent, which was supervised by David McIlreavy (McIlreavy and Tobin 2016b). The clearance established that the bramble and scrub cover had not directly impinged on the structural stability of the monument. However, the cover
had prevented the growth of grass across the mound. Sapling growth and a semi- mature tree had caused minor disturbance in the north-west quadrant. Removal of the vegetation cover allowed a renewed appreciation of the east–west alignment of the monument, possibly associated with the winter sunrise.

In terms of the condition of the monument, the vegetation clearance confirmed the scale of the historic damage on the apex of the mound. It also allowed the recording of possible horizontal incursions on the north and east of the monument, the former of which appear to have exposed structural stonework.

All vegetation was removed by hand by a team of contractors, and this work was monitored in order to ensure no intrusive works were carried out within the buffer area containing the tomb. The majority of the vegetation was removed with strimming, but some small trees were also felled and the stumps left in situ.

The partially-collapsed fencing surrounding the buffer zone was also removed from site by hand, as to not cause unnecessary disturbances to the ground below. The topography of the tomb was clearly visible once the vegetation had been cleared, with some exposed kerb stones present around the north-eastern perimeter of the monument. Whilst the presence of trees on the site is likely to have led to disturbance from root actions, no obvious areas of disturbance were present following the clearance of vegetation. The site remains unchanged from the previous vegetation removal in 2016.

Further vegetation clearance works shall be carried out in the future which will be achieved by strimming the area at least five times per year. The maintenance will be supervised by professional staff in the OPW or Parks Dept. All future works shall be in accordance with a management plan to be agreed between the Local Authority and the NMS (DoHLGH) and the OPW.