What is recorded here

Excavation in County Dublin revealed three phases of life beneath a widening road: an early medieval ditch, later medieval structures, and a post-medieval circular building. The earliest ditch ran ninety-nine metres beside the hill where Donabate church and tower house still stand, dated through animal bone to 661-778 cal. AD. People lived, drained, built and marked that ground long before the road claimed it.

This monument was excavated (Licence no. 08E0155) in advance of road widening. Three phases of archaeological activity were identified, the earliest of which was a wide linear ditch (exposed for 99m E-W) that ran along the base of the hill where Donabate church (DU012-005001-) and tower house (DU012-005002-) are located. Radiocarbon analysis of a sample of animal bone from the ditch fill returned an early medieval date (661-778 cal. AD). The second phase consisted of structures (DU012-082002-), drainage ditches and pits dated to the 13th – 14th centuries. An E-W ditch cut into the early medieval ditch and returned a later medieval date from an animal bone sample (1429-1473 cal. AD). The final phase consisted of a post-medieval circular building with a substantial stone footing (interpreted as a possible dovecote), ditches and a metalled path (Kavanagh 2011, 32). Compiled by: Christine Baker Date of upload: 5 February 2015

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