Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Axe factory
Lambay Island, County Dublin, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Lambay Island
- County
- Dublin
- Country
- Ireland
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 53.49074, -6.01738
- SMR number
- DU009-001016-
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1799 "Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Excavations in a valley running NW-SE beside an upland area on Lambay Island revealed an axe working area that started around 3800BC. All stages of axe production were represented. The associated tools were also present inluding large cobbles of conglomerate and granite to break off the outcrop and hammerstones used in roughing out the axes. Finds include porphyry debitage, struck flints, hamerstones, rubbers and Neolithic pottery (Cooney 1998.57-9; 1993, 28). The Eagle's Nest is the first quarry site recognised in ireland or Britain where hammering and pecking was the primary technology (Cooney 2009, 13).
Compiled by: Geraldine Stout
Date of upload: 26 August 2011
References
Cooney, G. 2002 Lambay Island. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2000: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 109-11. Bray. Wordwell.
Cooney, G. 2003a Lambay Island. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2001: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 126-8. Bray. Wordwell.
Cooney, G. 2009, The prehistory of Lambay, a long view. In Baker, C. (ed.) Axes, Warriors and Windmills: Recent archaeological discoveries in north Fingal. Fingal County Council.9-22.
Nearby in the register
- Moundunder 1 mi
- Ritual site - holy wellunder 1 mi
- Cairn - unclassifiedunder 1 mi
- Habitation siteunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.