Road - road/trackway

The National Monuments Service's description

Roadway recorded by James Kyle in 2003 while carrying out an archaeological survey of the lands at Newtown and Glencullen, the pathwaty or laneway was described by James Kyle as follows; 'At the convergence of two of the small, old stone field boundaries in the northwestern quadrant of Area 2 were the remains of two low, parallel stone-built boundary lines, 2.1m apart which defined a central pathway/laneway. The feature could be discerned running westwards across the hill into and across the northern part of Area 5 and where intact it survives as little more than two parallel low, linear mounds of earth and granite stones/boulders which define a central path. Many of the older stone-built boundaries of the early field system would appear to be hung off the axis of the laneway, abutting either side of this feature. something which potentially serves to date the laneway, which must either pre-date or be contemporary with the field system (DU025-047005-) which the Ráthín is a major part of. Therefore, the laneway is suggested to be possibly early medieval in its construction date and it may be part of the evidence for a far earlier field system on the hillside. Additionally, the fact that the townland boundary between Glencullen and Ballybetagh would appear to have been built over this feature potentially underlines that the laneway was in existence prior to the townland boundary being imposed on the landscape, something which would imply the antiquity of the former' (Kyle 2023, 36-7).  

 

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by James Kyle

References

Kyle, J. 2023 Archaeological field survey Lands at Newtown and Glencullen, Glencullen, County Dublin. Unpublished report on behalf of Deirdre Black,  Heritage Officer, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, 2 Marine Road, Dún-Laoghaire, County Dublin.