Ringfort - unclassified

The National Monuments Service's description

Was formerly located on a slight rise in undulating tillage. Now within Dublin Airport Logistics Park. Marked on OS historical maps, the site was levelled in 1953 (NMI Correspondence). Prior to its destruction it comprised a roughly circular area (diam. c. 90m) enclosed by a bank (H c. 2m) with external fosse and a low external counterscarp bank. There was an entrance causeway in the south (NMI Correspondence 3 September 1952). A series of aerial photographs taken after site destruction (BDR 27, BDQ 65, BGM, 70, AVS 38, 37) shows detailed cropmark evidence for two distinct building phases on the site. A roughly circular enclosure (diam. c. 45m) with field system attached to the W (DU014-006002-) appears to pre-date the ringfort levelled in 1953 (Stout and Stout 1992, 5-14).
Test excavation (Licence no. 05E0236) was undertaken in advance of the industrial park development. A strategy of open area testing was adopted to find the extent of remains. A total of 33 features were identified including human remain, pits, postholes, stakeholes, hearths and large ditch features. The testing confirmed the presence of large ditches illustrated on the OS maps in the form of two enclosing ditches and a bank between. The burials, aligned east-west, are located to the north east quadrant of the ditches cut into its fill indicating a later deposition. The burials and eastern quadrant of the site was preserved in situ under the carpark of DHL. The western quadrant of the ringfort was covered in terram and stone. Now within wasteland. Drop of c.1m down to stone. No indication of significance of the site.

Compiled by: Geraldine Stout

Updated by: Christine Baker

Date of upload: 22 January 2015

References

Stout, G. and Stout, M. 1992 Patterns in the past: county Dublin, 5000 BC-1000 AD. in F.H.A. Aalen and K. Whelan (eds), Dublin city and county: from prehistory to Present, 5-14. Dublin. Geography Publications.