Ringfort - unclassified

The National Monuments Service's description

An aerial photograph (CUCAP, AVS 30) shows cropmark evidence for a roughly circular enclosure (diam. c. 40m). This site was partially excavated in 1990 prior to the development of Porterstown church car park (Cotter 1991, 27). The fosse visible on the aerial photograph was located. It was round-bottomed (Wth 2.5-3m; D 1.25m) and the fill was sterile except for some animal bone. Possible evidence for an opening in the east was detected. Overall, the archaeological remains indicate that the site is a levelled ringfort. A gully and some post-holes which produced a sherd of Bronze Age pottery indicate that there was earlier activity at the site.
The site was subject to geophysical survey (Licence no. 06R180) which defined the extent of the ringfor, the eastern limit of which, extends under the playing pitches that adjoin the carpark (Krahn 2006). A sports club had been constructed further south, being accessed by a pathway that traverses the site. It is unknown if insertion of services had any effect.

Compiled by: Geraldine Stout

Updated by: Christine Baker

Date of upload: 29 January 2015

References

CUCAP - Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photographs. Unit for Landscape Modelling, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge. See:https://www.cambridgeairphotos.com

Cotter, C. 1991b Porterstown. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 1990: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 27. Bray. Wordwell.

Cotter, C. 1991a St. Olaf's Church, Balally. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations in 1990: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 24. Bray. Wordwell.

Krahn, H. 2006 Archaeological Geophysical Surevy: St Mochtas Church, Porterstown, Clonsilla, Dublin 15 (Licence no. 06R180). Unpublished report submitted to the National Monuments Service, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.