Souterrain

The National Monuments Service's description

Discovered during grading operations in advance of building on a south-facing site in a field of lowland pasture. Comprises a long, curving, drystone-built passage (L 22.75m; H 0.8-1m; Wth 0.75-0.95m) which runs on a WSW-ENE axis. The floor of this passage slopes down gradually in line with the terrain. A circular, unroofed chamber with traces of corbelling (diam.5m; H 0.6-0.8m) entered from a short passage (L 1.5m) opens off the W side of the main passage. A sherd of medieval pottery was found in the upper fill of the chamber indicating a medieval date for its collapse. A second section of passage leading towards the chamber, was exposed in further works. The site has since been covered (Clinton 1998, 120-22 ). Archaeological investigations in the vicinity uncovered a bivallate ringfort (DU005-115) and early medieval field system (Kavanagh, 2011).

Compiled by: Geraldine Stout

Updated by: Christine Baker

Date of upload: 15 November 2014

References

Kavanagh, H. 2011 Final Report: Archaeological excavation of development at Folkstown Great or Clonard, area 6, Balbriggan. Licence 07E0836Ext. Unpublished report. National Monuments Service, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

Clinton, M. 1998 The souterrains of County Dublin. In C. Manning (ed.), Dublin and beyond the Pale: studies in honour of Patrick Healy, 117-28. Bray. Wordwell.