Carrickmines Great

500 registered freehold parcels lie mostly in Carrickmines Great, from 1 m² to 427,791 m² (42.78 ha, 105.71 acres). The dashed line is the townland's boundary; 50 neighbouring parcels touch it.

Download the townland: DXF, in Irish Transverse Mercator metres, with its boundary, parcels and buildings; GeoJSON or KML.

• R2Objective A (Existing residential)
  COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022-2028, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown · 401 parcels The zoning objective in the plan
• C2.1Objective E (Industrial, enterprise, employment)
  COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022-2028, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown · 27 parcels The zoning objective in the plan
• G3Objective G (Conservation, amenity or buffer space, corridor/belt, landscape)
  COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022-2028, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown · 22 parcels The zoning objective in the plan
• P1Objective B (Agriculture)
  COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022-2028, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown · 15 parcels The zoning objective in the plan
• G1Objective F (Open space, park)
  COUNTY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022-2028, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown · 8 parcels The zoning objective in the plan

Source: Tailte Éireann and the Department of Housing (MyPlan), national zoning, CC BY 4.0.

• 24 Aug 2026Referral

  Planning Permission to amend a Large-scale Residential Development (LRD) permitt

  Permission · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, LRD26A/0629/WEB

• 17 Aug 2026Declare application invalid

  We, Cairn Homes Properties Ltd, intend to apply for Planning Permission to amend

  Permission (lrd) · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, LRD26A/0615/WEB

• 10 Aug 2026Assessment period

  Proposed development on a 0.583-hectare net site area comprising of: (i)Demoliti

  Permission · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, D26A/0596/WEB

• 13 Jul 2026S5 dec not exempt

  Relocation of plant room and electric metre boxes to ground floor, omitting the

  Section 5 · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, REF10226

• 10 Jul 2026Grant permission

  Planning permission for a Large-scale Residential Development (LRD) consisting o

  Permission (lrd) · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, LRD26A/0524/WEB

• 18 Jun 2026Grant cert of exemption (<=4 unit)

  3 Units

  Certificate of exemption - part v · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, V/044/26

• 12 Jun 2026Grant permission

  Planning Permission for the re-design of the first floor extension as granted i

  Permission · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, D26B/0346/WEB

• 10 Jun 2026Withdraw the application

  Retention of a partially completed apartment block, 4-5 storeys above basement,

  Permission for retention · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, D26A/0430/WEB

• 9 Jun 2026Grant permission

  The development will consist of the construction of a dormer window and rooflig

  Permission · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, D26B/0334/WEB

• 22 May 2026S5 dec not exempt

  Relocation of plant room and electric metre boxes to the Ground Floor, omitting

  Section 5 · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, REF7226

• 21 Apr 2026Grant permission

  The development will consist of proposed extensions to the building including bi

  Permission · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, D26A/0305/WEB

• 31 Mar 2026Clarification of further information

  The proposed development will principally consist of the construction of a resid

  Permission (sdz) · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, DZ26A/0252/WEB

• 18 Dec 2025Grant permission

  Permission for a Large-scale Residential Development (LRD) at a site measuring c

  Permission (lrd) · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, LRD25A/0985/WEB

• 28 Nov 2025Clarification of further information

  Permission is sought for the construction of 2 No. new 2 and half storey semi-de

  Permission · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, D25A/0917/WEB

• 27 Nov 2025Clarification of further information

  Permission is sought for the construction of new 2 storey dwelling, modification

  Permission · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, D25A/0911/WEB

• 19 Sept 2025Refuse permission

  The Proposed development on a 0.586-hectare net site area comprising of: (i) Dem

  Permission · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, D25A/0725/WEB

• 11 Jul 2025Declare application withdrawn

  Permission and Retention Permission is sought as follows: Permission for: 1) De

  Permission · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, D25A/0553

• 5 Jun 2025Grant permission

  The development will principally consist of: the demolition of the existing par

  Permission · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, D25A/0449/WEB

• 29 May 2025Grant permission

  The installation of 3No. Proposed On-Building signs, 1 No. located at the West E

  Permission · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, D25A/0425/WEB

• 7 Apr 2025S5 dec exempt

  Erect a temporary advertising sign at left of entrance within the site curtilage

  Section 5 · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, REF6425

• 20 Mar 2025Declare application invalid

  The installation of 3No. Proposed On-Building signs, 1 No. located at the West E

  Permission · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, D25A/0218/WEB

• 14 Mar 2025Grant permission

  For permission for proposed internal change of use of 676sqm tenant office space

  Permission · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, D25A/0203

• 13 Mar 2025Refuse permission

  The development will consist of the installation of a compact modular substatio

  Permission · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, D25A/0196/WEB

• 14 Nov 2024Grant permission

  Change of use from current office space to medical use with clinical suites for

  Permission · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, D24A/0910/WEB

• 7 Nov 2024Grant permission

  Cavernbell Ltd. intend to apply for Permission at this site at “The Glen”, Golf

  Permission · Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, D24A/0893/WEB

The 25 most recent of over 100 applications.

Source: National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Applicants are not shown.

Designated sites

• Proposed Natural Heritage Area: Dingle Glen 001207

Recorded monuments

• DU026-005 Settlement deserted - medieval
  Description

  Listed in the 1998 RMP of County Dublin as 'Deserted Settment' associated with the fragmentary remains of Carrickmines Castle (DU026-005001-) which have been incorporated into farm outbuildings. This is located in the townland of Carrickmines Great (Carraig Mhaighin Mhór), in the parish of Tully in the barony of Rathdown, on low-lying terrain off the Golden Ball-Carrickmines Road. The fields SW of the castle are uneven with rock outcrop and a series of irregular ditches marked on the 1937 OS 6 inch map and interpreted as outer defences (pers. comm. Mr. Paddy Healy). These ditches create a number of raised sub-rectangular platforms (L c. 50m, Wth 30m). The earthworks to the west of the castle (DU026-005001-) were described in 1996 as follows; 'The field west of the castle has a lot of field banks and raised platforms which are related to the castle as some kind of field system or perhaps a deserted settlement. The earthworks consist of a number of raised subrectangular platforms with wide but shallow sunken ways between them. The platforms are about 50m by 30m and the earthworks extend up into the corridor for the pipe which is about 30m wide. The earthworks are quite substantial here. The corridor nuns parallel with a W-E stream and another stream nuns N into it at the W edge of the field There is a platform at this junction with a fosse at the N base of its scarp, This fosse is only visible at the E end but it could connect the two streams as the leat of a mill. The platform extends into the corridor for about 10m. E of the platform there is a berm (Wth c. 5m) then a slight rise to another berm (Wth c. 5m) and to the E of this is a bank (Wth c. 8m; H on W c. 0.3m, H on E c. 1m) with a flat-bottomed fosse (Wth c. 4m; D on E c. 0.2m)' (SMR Site Report 31/07/1996). Monitoring of trial trenches adjacent to the castle in 1996 exposed a stone built drain of post -medieval date (Connolly 1997, 16-17). Excavations have since revealed a double fosse/double bank along the NW flank of the site. To the SE of the inner castle area is a stone-revetted fosse interpreted as part of the southern curtain wall. This enclosed an area of angular form and was connected to an earlier enclosure by a causeway. Two linear fosses identified c 60m to the S of the castle may represent some form of outer defence line. These contained Saintonge pottery which was made in the Saintonge region of France in the 13th and 14th centuries. Remains of a two-phase building were also exposed N of the castle area. Considerable quantities of late 13th/early 14th century pottery have been retrieved. Finds include an iron axehead, spindle whorls, leather shoes, rotary querns, iron keys, nails buckles and sundry implements. A cobbled surface a millpond, kiln and wells were also found on the site (Clinton 2002, 72; 2003, 85-7; 2004, 131). Breen, T. 2012 Report on the Findings of the Archaeological Excavations at Carrickmines, Co. Dublin - Carried out under licences 00E0525, 02E1532 and Ministerial Directions. M50 South-eastern Motorway Scheme 4 volumes. Prepared on behalf of V.J. Keely Ltd. for Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. See attached RMP Map of County Dublin (1998) showing the zone of archaeological potential around Carrickmines Castle. Section of Rocque's 1760 County Map of Dublin showing Carrickmines and a cluster of dwellings standing on the S side of the river. ASI sketch plan of earthworks surveyed 31/07/1996. See attached site plan showing location of excavation trenches at Carrickmines Castle, taken from excavation report under licence No. 00E0525, 02E1532, Breen 2012, Vol. 4. Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 29 December 2022

• DU026-005001 Castle - unclassified
  Description

  Only the gatehouse and a section of a revetted stone fosse and curtain wall with mural tower remains standing of Carrickmines Castle and bawn (DU026-005002-) which is located in the townland of Carrickmines Great (Carraig Mhaighin Mhór), in the parish of Tully in the barony of Rathdown. This gatehouse has been been incorporated into post-1700 farm outbuildings. The castle stands on low-lying terrain off the Golden Ball-Carrickmines Road, on the S side of a stream which marks the townland boundary with Carrickmines Little to the N and Brenanstown to the NE. A U-Shaped building with large enclosure attached to N side is depicted in the area of the medieval castle on Rocque's 1760 map of County Dublin where it is shown standing immediately W of a road which traverses the stream to NE. The castle appears to have been built to control this road and crossing point over the stream to the NE where Carrickmines Bridge is depicted on the 1st. ed. OSi 6-inch map. On this map the castle appears to the have stood to the N of a cluster of dwellings with a larger dwelling to the SSE. According to D'Alton (1838, 836) in 1178 Archbishop O'Toole confirmed the church of 'Carrickmayne', with all it tithes to Christ Church. In 1295 the Roll of Service of Dublin, recorded a payment of 3s. from 'Roger fitz David, for Karrkmayn [Carrickmines]' (Cal. doc. Ire., Vol. 4, 108, no. 259). Two years earlier in 1293 there was a royal grant of 'English laws and customs to persons purporting to be Irishmen' which included 'Roger Fitz David' (Cal. doc. Ire., Vol. 4, 6, no. 19). In 1297/8 there is a payment of 5s. in the Roll of service of Tristledermot [Castledermot] from 'Roger David de Carmayn [Carrickmines]' (Cal. doc. Ire., Vol. 4, 222, no. 473). In 1301/02 the Pipe Roll of Edward I recorded a payment from 'Roger Dauy [David] for Aunger de Lisbon, 5s. for the service of one foot serjeant from Carrickmayn [Carrickmines]' (38th Report of the Deputy Keeper of Ireland, 61). In 1314/15 in the Pipe Roll of 9 Edward II recorded payment into the treasury from the 'Lands of Adam de Cromelyn, co. Dublin' which included the following payment from Carrikmayn [Carrickmines]; 'He accounts for 13s. 4d. rent of 40 acres, 6 cottars and issues from pasturage of the demesnes which belonged to Roger son of David at Carrikmayn near Senekyl [Shankill], in the King's hand by the death of said Roger from 16 Mar. a.r. v., to 15 May same year, before the premises were delivered to John his son and heir. Sum 13s. 4d.—deduct 6s. 8d. rent of 40 acres sown before death of said Roger. Sum 6s. 8d.'(Appendix to 39th Report of the Deputy Keeper of Ireland, 61). Around 1326 there is a reference to Carrickmines [Carricmayn] in the rental account of the Prior of the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (Christchurch DU018-020270-) which received payment of 40s. for 40 acres in Carrickmines [Carricmayn] and Ballybrennan from Maurice Howell (Mills 1891, 195). The Irish Exchequer Payments recorded that in 1335-6 a sum of £13 6s. 8d. in compensation for expenses incurred by John de Troye, baron of the exchequer who had been 'lately appointed by various letters patent under the great seal to supervise wards placed by the king and the communities of those parts at Killoghtre, Kylmartre, Newcastle McKinegan, Kylrothery, Bree, Carrigmayn [Carrickmines], Dundrom, Tauelaght and Saggart in Leinster in Co. Dublin and at Kylhele, Rathmore, Balymore and Grane in Cos. Kildare and Carlow, in defence of the marches of those counties and the king's faithful people there against the hostile attacks of Obryn, Otothill, Onolan and their accomplices, then enemies of the king, who were daily invading the marches and people and committing homicides, depredations, burnings and other crimes, and he stayed with many armed men and archers not without heavy labours and expenses for no small time in supervising these wards and the persons nominated for those wards, to see whether they, the nominated persons or others in the place of those who were unfit stayed there continuously and if any did not come or send others in their place, and who left the wards without licence, and when each arrived and left, and if those coming to the wards were suitably arrayed and furnished with horses and arms, and to punish tor their contempt and rebellion those who did not come or did not stay in the wards' (Connolly 1998, 472). In 1359, John Scrop, the clerk of the wages of men at arms in Leinster was ordered by Edward III to pay 'John Bermingham kt, who was in the parts of Carrigmayn with men-at-arms [etc.] to resist Obryn and Otothill' (Close Roll 33 Edward III, Calendar of Irish Chancery Letters). In 1372 the Prior and Convent of the Holy Trinity Church [Christchurch DU018-020270-] leased to 'Sir Thomas Walsch, chaplain, the town of Balybrenan [adjoining to Carrickmines], (the tithes both great and small thereto belonging, being reserved); for 20 years; rent, 4 marks. Lessee is bound to do suit of court at Clonken twice a year, to build and maintain a stone house on the premises within four years, and to surrender it in good condition at the end of term, under a penalty of double the rent. Should lessee die during the term, lessors to be entitled to heriot, or half a mark, at their pleasure; and should the rent be in arrear for 15 days, lessors may re-enter the premises and recover the rent in arrear as a simple debt' (Appendix to 23rd Report of the Deputy Keeper of Ireland, 120, Deed No. 717). In 1374 a letter to the Treasurer and chamberlains of the exchequer, stated that, John Colton, Treasurer of Ireland, 'stayed at Carrykmayn for eight days, and later for one month, with a great company of defensible men beyond his own retinue to resist them [the Irish] in salvation of the neighbouring marches, where every day he rode from morning to evening with others of the said marches undertaking various excessive labours at his own costs' (Close Roll 48 Edward III, Calendar of Irish Chancery Letters). In 1395 there is a reference to the manor of 'Carrykmayne' and other manors which 'belonged to John fitz James Archbold and Hugh Lawless kt (which have come into the K.'s hand both by forfeiture and acquisition)' (Close Roll 18 Richard II A Calendar of Irish Chancery Letters). On the 11th of March 1400 the Crown recorded that; 'Thorncastelle co. Dublin in Ireland. Order of the issues and rents of that manor to pay to Henry Adamesone of Cairykmayn [Carrickmines] 100s. a year, which for good service the king has granted him' (Calendar of the Close Rolls Henry IV, Vol. 1, 69). In 1415 the English crown recorded a royal pardon to 'William Walsh of Carrykmayn of debts and accounts' (Patent Roll 2 Henry V, A Calendar of Irish Chancery Letters). The terrier of the Down Survey of the Parish of Tully recorded that the lands of Carrickmines and Glenamuck amounting to 844 acres, in 1640 belonged to the Irish Papist, Theobald Welsh [Walsh] where 'there stands only the Walls of a ffayre Stone House' (NLI, Ms. 714). On the 22nd of April, 1529 before the Barons of the Exchequer an Inquisition recorded that 'Theobald Walshe was seised of the manor of Carrykmayn. held in chief at 6s. royal service. James his s[on]. & h[eir]., inherited & d[ied]. without lineal heir. James nearest heir, his brother Robert, intruded himself & held the manor from James' death, i.e. from 15 Dec 1512' (Griffith 1991, 22). The 1654-56 Civil Survey of County Dublin recorded that there was on the lands of 'Theobald Walsh of Carrickmayne', Captain of a Foot Company in the Irish Army, 'the Walles of a Castle, an Orchard, and garden plott, a Bawne; the Buildings are Valued by the Jury at Tenn poundes' (Simington 1945, 270). According to this jury the Castle of Carrickmines was 'a Mannor & kept Court Leet, the Tithes belong to Christ-Church' (ibid.). The castle was attacked and partially destroyed during the Irish Rebellion of 1641-2. On the 2nd of April, 1642, a letter was sent fr

• DU026-005002 Bawn
  Description

  Only the gatehouse and a section of curtain wall with external stone-revetted fosse and mural tower remains standing of the bawn that defended Carrickmines Castle (DU026-005001-) which was described in the 1654-56 Civil Survey of County Dublin as, 'the Walles of a Castle, an Orchard, and garden plott, a Bawne; the Buildings are Valued by the Jury at Tenn poundes' (Simington 1945, 270). According to this jury the Castle of Carrickmines which in 1640 belonged to 'Theobald Walsh', a Captain of a Foot Company in the Irish Army was 'a Mannor & kept Court Leet, the Tithes belong[ed] to Christ-Church [DU018-020270-]' (ibid.). Only the gatehouse remains standing of Carrickmines Castle and bawn which is located in the townland of Carrickmines Great (Carraig Mhaighin Mhór), in the parish of Tully in the barony of Rathdown. This gatehouse has been been incorporated into post-1700 farm outbuildings. The castle stands on low-lying terrain off the Golden Ball-Carrickmines Road, on the S side of a stream which marks the townland boundary with Carrickmines Little to the N and Brenanstown to the NE. A U-Shaped building with large enclosure attached to N side is depicted in the area of the medieval castle on Rocque's 1760 map of County Dublin where it is shown standing immediately W of a road which traverses the stream to NE. The castle appears to have been built to control this road and crossing point over the stream to the NE where Carrickmines Bridge is depicted on the 1st. ed. OSi 6-inch map. On this map the castle appears to the have stood to the N of a cluster of dwellings with a larger dwelling to the SSE. Excavations at Carrickmines castle have revealed a double fosse/double bank along the NW flank of the site. To the SE of the inner castle area is a stone-revetted fosse interpreted as part of the southern curtain wall. This enclosed an area of angular form and was connected to an earlier enclosure by a causeway. Two linear fosses identified c 60m to the S of the castle may represent some form of outer defence line. These contained Saintonge pottery which was made in the Saintonge region of France in the 13th and 14th centuries (Clinton 2002, 72; 2003, 85-7; 2004, 131). A Draft Conservation Plan of Carrickmines Castle 2015-2025, commissioned by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, recorded the following details about Carrickmines Castle; 'The site today consists of three areas, connected by modern half-round tunnels, effectively rendering it an island within a motorway. The site consists of post-medieval farm buildings and the fragmentary remains of part of a medieval gatehouse positioned between the M50 motorway and Glenamuck Road North. A post-medieval masonry bridge is located within a timber-walled enclosure in the roundabout at the bottom of Glenamuck Road North. Both areas are connected by halfround concrete tunnels which house the remains of the looping defences of Carrickmines including the surviving revetted stone fosse. The south-eastern enclosure was added last, and this re-used the eastern causeway of the south-western enclosure to allow passage between both areas. The south-eastern enclosure had three sets of defences (i.e. trivallate) with the innermost and central ditch cut into bedrock, and sections of the defences extending 217m in length65 revetted in granite. The south-eastern enclosure had the foundations of a rectangular structure which has been suggested as a gate tower controlling access into the site. This was the strongest of the three enclosures, and probably the ‘bawn’ later recorded by the Civil Survey in the seventeenth century. The defensive triple-ditched enclosures at Carrickmines had three entrances: a revetted causeway in the north-west corner which may have had a drawbridge between the inner and middle fosse; the gate house which formed part of the revetted stone fosse, a segment of which is still visible to the north of the farm buildings; and a staggered entrance at the south side of the rectangular enclosure crossing all three fosses, possibly with a wooden gate tower. A stretch of fosse survives to the north of the farm buildings, and extends beneath the Glenamuck Road overpass. The remains consist of a stone-revetted fosse wall with the remains of the foundations of a possible square mural tower beneath the overpass tunnel. The masonry is heavily overgrown. The eastern fosse consists of a stone-revetted fosse, extending from the south-east corner of the site and beneath the roundabout on Glenamuck Road (noted as structures F and G on the map above). The fosse is heavily overgrown with most of its length obscured by mature vegetation. The exposed granite masonry below the overpass tunnel is loose and requires consolidation' (Bolton 2015, 27, 30, 49-50). Bolton, J. 2015 Draft Carrickmines Castle Conservation Plan 2015-2025. DLR Co. Co., County Hall, Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin. See attached section of Rocque's 1760 County Map of Dublin showing Carrickmines and a cluster of dwellings standing on the S side of the river. See attached photos of map and plan showing location of the SE enclosure which has been interpreted as the possible bawn of Carrickmines Castle, courtesy Jason Bolton 2015, 21, 22, 27. See attached photograph of Castle gatehouse taken by Paddy Healy 27/03/1977, courtesy of South Dublin County Council, https://hdl.handle.net/10599/3639 - Copyright: South Dublin Libraries, Local Studies Collection, County Library, Town Centre, Tallaght, Dublin. Compiled by: Geraldine Stout and Padraig Clancy Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 30 December 2022

• DU026-005003 Moated site
  Description

  Excavations revealed the remains of a northern enclosure of possible moated site which was described in the Draft Conservation Plan of Carrickmines Castle as follows; 'The northern The defences of Carrickmines Castle (DU026-005001-) consist of three earth and stone ditches. The earliest is the northern enclosure, possibly a moated site defended by a broad ditch and containing at least one substantial stone building. Another enclosure was later added to the south-west which had two probable entrances - a causeway or bridge on the south side, and a causeway on the east side. The south-east enclosure [DU026-005002-] was added last and was defended by three sets of defences (i.e. trivallate) with the innermost and central ditch cut into bedrock, and sections of the defences revetted in granite. The south-eastern enclosure had the foundations of a rectangular structure which has been suggested as a gate tower' (Bolton 2015, 27-8). See attached plan showing location of the north enclosure No. 1 which has been interpreted as a possible moated site, courtesy Jason Bolton 2015, 27. Bolton, J. 2015 Draft Carrickmines Castle Conservation Plan 2015-2025. DLR Co. Co., County Hall, Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin. Compiled by: Geraldine Stout and Padraig Clancy Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 30 December 2022

• DU026-005004 Water mill - horizontal-wheeled
  Description

  Watermill associated with Carrickmines Castle (DU026-005001-) and bawn (DU026-005002-) which is located in the townland of Carrickmines Great (Carraig Mhaighin Mhór), in the parish of Tully in the barony of Rathdown. A millrace runs from the site identified on the OSi 1st edition map as 'site of an ancient mill' to the N of Carrickmines castle. The Draft Conservation Plan stated that; 'In addition to the defences, Carrickmines Castle [DU026-005----] functioned as a working manor throughout the medieval period. Excavations uncovered abundant evidence in the form of structures and artefacts reflecting this activity. Evidence for a series of four medieval structures (probably houses, with one probable industrial building containing furnaces), a thirteenth-century horizontal water-mill and a pair of corn-drying kilns were also uncovered during archaeological excavations' (Bolton 2015, 32). Breen (2012, 44-5, 76-87) recorded the following details about the excavated mill at Carrickmines; 'The earliest medieval features excavated at Carrickmines were located in the area immediately south-west of the unexcavated ‘island’. These features have been divided into two phases of undefended pre-castle structures, comprising two possible building structures with related kiln (medieval phase 1) and a horizontal mill with associated features (medieval phase 2). The features which compose the horizontal mill, with its accompanying head- and tail-races, provide a clear stratigraphic watershed. The mill phase truncated two specific areas of early activity. One was represented by the kiln (features F868, F867 and F675) and the other was a large linear boundary ditch (F82). Whereas the kiln has been interpreted as belonging to the earliest phase of activity, associated with Structure A to the Southwest (phase 1), linear feature F82 appeared as an isolated feature which truncated Structure A and was cut by the headrace of the mill and therefore separated phases 1 and 2. The second medieval phase was represented by a horizontal mill, the remains of two buildings overlying each other on the same site, known as Structure C, and another medieval house, Structure D. The mill Although the superstructure of the mill had been removed or destroyed after it went out of use, three below-ground elements survived, although truncated by later features. These consisted of the head-race, which directed the water towards the wheel, the wheel-pit in which the wheel was situated, and the tail race, which channelled the water back into the river. The Headrace The headrace of the mill diverted water from the Glenamuck river to the wheel-pit of the horizontal mill. Two distinct phases were identified; both phases had the same overall structure and the second phase almost completely overlay the first. This first phase of the headrace consisted of three separate features: a feeder ditch (F74), an earth-cut sluice funnel F1436, and the race proper F783. Most evidence of the physical relationships between these three features had been destroyed by the second phase re-cuts. The headrace extended from the top of the South field in the west, through Trenches T12, T7, T1, T5, finally entering the wheel-pit in T10. The second phase of the headrace incorporated a number of re-cuts of the original components, such as the addition to the funnel of a stone-built sluice F1435, two re-cuts of the feeder ditch (F223 and F229) and a re-cut (F94) of the original headrace F783. The total length of the headrace (including all the later re-cuts and features) was approximately 77.00m. The width of F74 was approximately 4.00m, but F94 and F783 were approximately 1.50m wide. After this point the width of the headrace remained narrow, with occasional wider sections which appeared to be more random than intentional. The alignment of the headrace curved from WNW-ESE in the west to ENE-WSW further to the east and was respected by the large moat F75 (located between 1.10m and 3.00m north and northwest of the millrace). This suggests that even if the latter feature is later in date, the course of the headrace would at least have been noticeable at the time when the moat was created. The moat turned sharply towards the NE after 48.50m (measured from the western baulk in T7) echoing exactly the turn of the headrace. Up until this point the millrace and the moat ran parallel to each other, but whereas the moat turned sharply, the bend of the millrace had a gentler angle and the alignments of the two features diverged. The Feeder Ditch F74 The Glenamuck River flowed to the north and west of the site. West of the site, it was originally closer: part of the old course was found in Trenches W10–W11. It was 114m from the site of the mill itself. The point where the water was drawn off the Glenamuck river was in an unexcavated area, south of W12. The north-south ditch F4353 in Trench T13 may represent part of it, but the first continuous part was a shallow channel in T12, called F4415. Two features were associated with F4415. On its base was a small platform of stones which seem to have been arranged with flat sides facing up in a roughly rectangular pattern. An irregular and quite patchy deposit of ash with charcoal and mortar inclusions (C4715) covered a large area of the platform. A possible drain, F4420, ran into F4415 from the north. The eastern end of F4415 was defined by an outcrop of bedrock which would have formed a natural weir. From here, the water flowed into the headrace proper, F74. At this point there were three features associated with F74. A small ditch or large drain, F4413, ran at an acute angle to F74 divided from it by a ridge of natural and bedrock before merging with it. It was difficult to say which was earlier. Another possible drain, F4417, was cut into its southern edge. It appears to have been contemporary with F74 as the fills of the two were continuous. A stone drain, F4392, was cut into the fill of F74. It had a base composed of flat stones, and was walled with side stones, but there was no evidence that it was covered. F74 measured 50m in length from the westernmost part exposed in Trench T12 to where it reached F1436 in Trench 5. Because of the later re-cut features F223 and F229, the full extent of F74 in T5 could only be estimated to where this met the funnel F1435. The average width of F74 was 4.00m, and the average depth was about 0.70m, reaching a maximum depth of 0.80m. It was uniform in section and maintained a U-shaped profile along its entire length. The feature ran parallel to boundary ditch F635 and its subsequent re-cut F649, mentioned above in connection with Structure A, suggesting either that traces of this ditch may still have been in existence during Phase 2, or the boundary which it represented may still have been active. The water sluice funnel F1436 The two successive water sluice funnels which were incorporated into the headrace were, as mentioned above, F1436 and re-cut F1435. The re-cut truncated the original almost completely and both of them were, in turn, heavily truncated by F281, a post-medieval stone platform. What remained of F1436 was a small, semicircular arc-shaped cut with fill C3319 which was truncated on the Northern side by millrace F94 and on the western side by the sluice re-cut F1435. This primary earth-cut funnel was for the most part cut into the natural soil (C3). F1436, as far as we can ascertain from the scant evidence, was semi-circular plan but, owing to truncation, only a small portion remained visible to the south-east of its successor F1435. Because it has been truncated, it is difficult to determine what, if any, components it contained, but F1435 definitely incorporated a semicircular arrangement of stones. Four of these survived, but the distribution and layout suggested that there may originally have been more. If F1436 was simply a narrower section of the feeder ditch, without a barrier, it would have allowed water to funnel through it with a more powerful flow. A similar narrowing would also have been what differentiated the feeder ditch F74 from the mill-race proper, F783. The re-cut, F1435 was cut slightly to the south of F783, but they still mostly overlay each other. It is likely that F1436 originally extended the full width of F74, and could have measured up to 4.00m in length. The headrace F783 F783 represented the part of the original headrace that existed east of F1436. This feature measured approximately 27m in length and was re-cut by F94, which followed the exact same course of the original cut. This length is an approximate value, measured from the eastern edge of F229 and F223 up to the point where F631 truncated the feature in the east. This channel was shallow and wide and this may have led to the need for a re-cut water funnel (F1435). This feature was shallower in the west (0.25m–0.50m) than its later re-cut F94, but deeper (0.62m) towards the east. It is not known how wide it may have stretched in the east in Trench 5 as it was truncated along its entire southern length by F94 and in the extreme west by F281 but the maximum remaining width was measured to 1.40m. F783 had a regular U-shaped cut with a non-perceptible break of slope at the base, changing from gradual to sharp at the top. The sides were exclusively concave. A narrow strip of the base in parts of the centre of the feature was flat but otherwise it was rounded. It is unclear whether F783 and F74 once formed a single feature as the re-cut features F229, F223 and F94 had destroyed any remains of their relationship. It is likely however, that the original headrace was a simple undifferentiated ditch construction which became more complex through later remodelling such as the sluice funnel (F1435) and the possible weir feature (C3312). The original mill-race must have been found inefficient, so that extensive re-modelling was necessary to produce a more controlled supply of water with sufficient volume and velocity. F783 had been truncated by the tertiary fosse (F631). There is no indication that there was a mill-pond to collect and hold the water between the headrace (F783) and the wheel-pit (F816). The remains of the original millrace F783 had already been severely truncated by F94 and some of the fills were disturbed by this. The break of slope at the top was sharp along both edges and at the base gradual to imperceptible. The southern side was slightly concave and the north side was slanted at an estimated 40º inclination. The base was flat, falling SW-NE along the course of the feature and the natural slope of the ground, and cut through the natural soil, which contained inclusions of natural stone that protruded through the surface. Where the feature truncated the kiln bowl (F868), parts of the remains of the upstanding masonry (F1428/C2077) formed the southern side of the cut, making it vertical in cross-section. As mentioned above, it was likely that this feature was the same as F74, however the later re-cuts would have destroyed all evidence of this. F783 contained altogether seven fills of silty/clay composition, which would have been deposited during the time when the feature was in use. Most of these were smallish deposits that appeared to have been disturbed by the later re-cut. Along the southern edge of the cut, several fragments of collapsed masonry (C1641) from the wall of the kiln bowl (F1428/C2077) had been deposited, most likely when the millrace was constructed. Three deposits of silts and clay, C1697, C1696 and C3339, were deposited along the base of the feature. C3339 occurred between the stones in the bowl wall and was initially thought to be the same as C1524 in T5, but it subsequently became clear that the two were separated by a substantial layer of silty sand and gravel (C1511) along the northern edge of the cut. This context contained large amounts of flecks of oxidised clay and charcoal and has been interpreted as collapse of material from the edge of the ditch where it truncated the kiln bowl during the life of the original mill-race. A small, circular deposit of yellow sand (C1736) was deposited at the base of the feature (on top of C1696). It is possibly the same as context C1511. A large dressed granite stone (0.62m x 0.53m was set into the northern edge of C1511 along the stretch of the mill-race. This architectural stone was re-deposited from elsewhere. It resembles a large baffle stone which would have been used in a kiln or similar feature. The nearby kiln, however, did not include any stones of the right dimensions for a baffle stone of this size. Along each side of the feature, below the bottom fill of F94 and above C1511, two almost identical contexts of mid brown sandy silt/sandy silty clay were excavated (C1867, C2008). They probably represented a single context divided when the millrace was re-cut by F94. Finds from the original millrace were few. Only two of the bottom contexts contained finds. One sherd of Leinster Cooking Ware was recorded in C1697, and in C3339 a pivot stone, possibly related to the mill, was recovered. The mixed context C1511 contained a number of medieval sherds from both T5 and T10, but the other fills were empty of finds. Unlike F94, F783 contained finds only of medieval date but, because of the high level of disturbance, it is likely because that some of the finds were intrusive. For example, the sherd of Leinster Cooking Ware discovered in the bottom fill C1697 could, because the context was mostly thinner that 150mm in depth, have sunk down into the base of the feature. The re-modelled sluice feature F1435 The re-cut of the original water sluice funnel (F1436) had a much more solid construction made up of boulders which formed a semi-circular sluice (Figures 21–22). This construction allowed the water to pass through a gap between the two central boulders. The boulders were firmly bonded allowing no water to pass between them. F1435 did not survive intact due to truncation by post-medieval features. It is possible that there was a sluice gate in the small gap between the two middle stones, allowing water to build up west of it in F74 and allowing variations in the rate of flow. Because the water was allowed to settle, there had been extensive silting in the area west of the sluice. It is not known how many stones may have originally formed F1435, or what shape the overall cut made in plan. There were no clear indications of the boulders of the sluice ever having formed a circular (or other) shaped feature or even that the cut for these curved around to form a dam on the west side of the sluice. The build-up of silt, however, suggests that this feature caused water to accumulate in F74, whether or not there was an actual dam. What remained of F1435 measured 2.50m in length (N-S), 1.10m in width (E-N) 0.25m in depth (the depth of C3318). The latter fill (a very compact dark brown-grey silty sand with small stone inclusions and ample medieval pottery finds) had been truncated, but appeared to have originally been level with the tops of the boulders. As in the case of the original sluice feature (F1436), the length of F1435 must have been equal to the width of F74 (4.00m) in order for the whole construction to work. The cut of F1435 had a flat base where the boulders of C3317 lay flush, and the cut itself was steep-sided as seen in the section of the excavated southern edge of F94. This flat base could also be seen immediately to the north of the boulders C3317, which indicated the continuation of F1435 northwards. Any additional boulders would have been removed from this section by truncation. The remaining stones all had vertical facings and formed a regular arc in plan, with a N-S alignment and assuming that the area to the north took on a similar shape in construction one would be looking at a semi-circular structure in plan. The northernmost boulder measured 0.40m x 0.40m x 0.56m, the middle boulder measured 0.70m x 0.60m x 0.52m and the most southernmost boulder measured 0.90m x 0.60m x 0.52m. Context C3318 was deposited in the space between the two most southerly boulders and the cut of F1435. This context also filled the gap between the southernmost boulder and the middle boulder of F3317. C3318 is contemporary with C3317 and would have acted as a compact sealant barrier, between the boulders, if they were placed as close as possible together to accomplish this task effectively. Therefore it is likely that they were originally as high as the tops of the boulders. F1435 and F94 are contemporary features. The most northern boulder lies on the base of F94, whereas the other two boulders lie on the flat base of F1435, and all three boulders are undoubtedly part of the sluice feature, conclusively linking F1435 with F94. F1435 was located at the most westerly point of F94, where F94 abruptly terminated there was a difference in height between the base of F74 and the base of F94 of the order of 0.37m which would have allowed a better flow of water through the gap. The opening in the sluice measured 0.12m in width and 0.64m in height and was situated between the northernmost boulder and the middle boulder. This gap between the stones remained open during the lifetime of the mill-races but there could have been a temporary closure mechanism like a sluice gate. This would control the volume of water entering F94. This would have improved directional accuracy, leading flowing water straight into the middle of F94. The water would have dropped 0.37m from the base of F74 down to the base of F94, where F1435 meets F94 in the opening between the stones. The re-cut of the headrace F94 This re-cut of the headrace followed the exact course of the original headrace (F783) but was cut wider and deeper in its section in T5 and narrower and shallower in T10. The western part of the original race (inside T5) was nearly completely truncated by the re-cut (F94) and the only part of it that was still intact was the northern most edge. At this end the re-cut could have been wider than the original millrace because the southern side and the base were no longer evident. Although it became narrower along its course, this re-cut of the channel continued east towards Trench 10 but approximately 1.40 west of the section (at the point where the remains of the bowl wall of the kiln was discovered along the south edge), F94 had narrowed down to fit within the perimeter of F783 and in this section, the feature measured 1.40m width (in comparison to the 2.25m width of F783). The total length of the feature was equal to that of F783 and measured 27m. The feature was 0.66m in width in the west and 1.40m in the east and the depth ranged from 0.74 in the west to 0.48m in the east. F94 had a regular U-shaped profile throughout its length, and although some undulations in the bedrock did occur, they would not have obstructed the waterway. The break of slope at the top appeared sharp along the northern edge and gradual along the southern. The north side had a gentle slope of approximately 45º (changing to slightly concave towards the south) with a sharp to imperceptible break of slope at the base. The south side was steeper with only a slightly concave profile, which changed to a gradual break of slope at the base. The base was generally flat although in places slightly uneven. F94 contained four silt/clay fills (C1512, C1714, C1793 and C1523) and one backfill (C1509), which all but two of which contained medieval finds only. The bottom silty clay (C1523) contained two sherds of post-medieval pottery and three iron fragments. The last phase of the silting-up process, context C1512, contained one sherd of post-medieval Blackware and an iron fragment, possibly from a key. These finds could not be anything but intrusive and the result of post- medieval field integration as the millrace, being contemporary with the mill, should not be later than 13th century in date. C1523 and C1524 appeared throughout the length of F94, from the weir feature down to the mill. These silts undoubtedly built up at times when water was allowed to settle in F94, but for the most part water apparently flowed efficiently through this feature. The possible weir, C3312 was located within F94 and consisted of a rough stone wall which spanned the width of F94, situated approximately 1.50m east of F1435, allowing a pool to form between these two features. This would have been particularly effective if there was a sluice gate on F1435. The horizontal mill The wheel-pit and tailrace were given a single feature number, F816, because no clear distinction between the pit and the tailrace could be established. Essentially, the wheel-pit narrowed down from a large, deep sub-oval cut into a linear feature, which decreased in depth and width as it continued northeast, leading the water away from the mill. This transformation from wheel-pit to tailrace was gradual but seemed to start in the corner of T10 and TK and as the feature entered the south end of TN, it took on the form of a linear feature. The entire stretch of the tailrace in TN measured 14.20m. This included the section which had been obliterated by the revetted fosse and was measured from the southern baulk in TN and to the point where F498 cuts F816. The feature became both narrower and shallower the further north it extended. The tailrace disappeared in the east part of Trench N as it was truncated by the medieval moat F498. The revetted fosse also truncated the tailrace after approximately 6.00m into TN and had cut away close to 4m of its length. This established that the mill pre-dated the revetted fosse enclosure and perhaps also the Northern enclosure, which F498 represents. On the other hand, the courses of F265/F75 and the headrace F94 (/F74), were both curvilinear and parallel to each other to some extent, which suggests that the tailrace was still in existence at the time of the creation of the South-western Enclosure, of which F75/F265 formed the major part. The mill does not appear to have been in use at this time, but the mill-race may have been seen as an additional obstacle to attackers. The house structure in Trench N may be contemporary with this phase of activity in the South field. The wheel-pit F816 The large sub-oval shaped cut for the wheel pit, containing what remained of the mill structure, was approximately 10.50m long, but as there was no clear distinction between the end of the pit and the beginning of the tail-race, this is not exact (Figures 19–20). Its orientation was SW-NE. The width at the SW end of the feature was c. 4.50mm and the widest part, at the middle, 5.40m. The narrowest point of the feature was at the north-eastern end, where it measured 3.60m. The wheel pit was positioned in a field which had a marked natural slope and although the base of the feature respected this slope slightly, it levelled out to a much more gentle slope. This resulted in the depth being much greater at the south-western end at 1.547m and steadily decreasing along the feature towards the northeast to a maximum depth of 0.969m. The wheel pit was cut into a yellow sandy natural soil (C3) in the north and south and protruding bedrock in the SW. The break of slope at the top was sharp all around the edge of the feature except at the rounded SW terminal. The south-western end was cut into the bedrock: this created a drop into the pit. The break of slope at the base was gradual all round the feature. All the sides were concave except where the cut bedrock created a stepped edge. The base was flat with an inclination following the natural slope of the ground towards the NE. The cut bedrock could have supported structures such as a sluice and possibly a trough and a dam feature to the west of the wheel pit. However, the tertiary fosse (F631) cut across the westernmost perimeter of the wheel pit, destroying any evidence which may have been present. There were no traces of a mill building evident around the edges of the wheel pit, although it is possible that some of the stone rubble (C2038) could have formed part of such a structure. It is likely that when the mill went out of use, any above-ground structures were dismantled and the materials re-used elsewhere. The only remains of the structure were those buried beneath the silt layers which had accumulated on the base of the pit. The wheel pit had been truncated by both the secondary and tertiary fosses (F637 and F638). After the mill had gone out of use, the wheel-pit was partly backfilled with large stones. These were mostly large natural boulders, but a number of them were worked. The worked stones included four millstones (Plate XI), a quernstone and a staddle stone, as well as two further possible examples of the latter two. In addition to some pieces of dressed building stone, a possible pivot stone and an elongated voussoir from an arch or doorway were found. All these stones were probably dumped into the wheel-pit at the same time, but they sank down to different levels in the soft fills below. The wooden structure (C3232/F1397) consisted of a platform made up of 12 large pieces of wood (Plate XII). Wooden planking, beams and other worked wood pieces were recovered from the feature. Neither trough nor wheel were found: these had probably been removed before or after the mill was destroyed. In addition to this several smaller pieces of wood were found, both worked and un-worked. The largest timbers were three long oak beams (00E0525:3232:1–3). Underneath these timbers a flat surface was situated, consisting of 6 individual planks, most of which were ash (see sections 9.10 and 9.11 below). Also, a number of miscellaneous pieces of worked wood were recovered from in or around the mill structure. The wooden structure was covered in a silty, organic layer (C2173) which was had accumulated at least partly after the destruction of the mill structure. From this layer was retrieved several pivot stones, pieces of quern-stones, medieval pottery and the stick-pin. This silt was also found under the planks in C3232/F1397 but because of the high water content it would have flowed between and under the planks. The dating evidence The three long beams were dated by dendrochronology (see section 9.20 below). Two of them produced usable dates, having been felled in or after the late 11th and early 12th centuries respectively. These dates seem too early, in view of the finds of 13th-century pottery in Structure A and the kiln, which are stratigraphically earlier than the mill race. They are, however, termini post quem, so the actual felling date may be much later. A stick-pin found in the bottom of the wheel-pit, and Dublin Type Coarse Ware pottery in the lower levels, are consistent with a 12th-century date, but must be redeposited. The kiln, in particular, rules out a pre-13th century date for the mill, as it underlies the headrace. The mill-race appears to have been still open when the South-western Enclosure, F265/F75, was being constructed. It cannot have been in use, as the tail-race had already been truncated by the moat, F498, of the North-western enclosure. The fills of the wheel pit Six of the top fills of the wheel pit F816 were excavated and recorded as backfill contexts. C1348, C1336, C1335, C1892 were smaller contexts of mottled coloured soils, mainly sandy silts and silty clays, which contained occasional inclusions of stones and pebbles and occasional inclusions of charcoal. Finds from these context included only occasional sherds of Leinster Cooking Ware (C1348 and C1335) and one worked piece of flint (C1348). The most extensive backfill layer, C1696, contained mixed grey/brown/orange sandy silt and contained occasional inclusions of clay, stones, mica fragments and charcoal. This context was truncated by both the secondary and tertiary fosses. The finds from this context were all of medieval date and included occasional sherds of Leinster Cooking Ware, one piece of ferrous metal, animal bone and one flint flake. The fill below C1696 (C2383) probably originated during the creation of the bank F793 as it was slippage of soil from the bank into the wheel pit. This context was deposited along the southern edge of the feature and along the northern edge a similar deposit (C2252) of collapsed re-deposited material was excavated. C2252 appeared to be an earlier deposit than C2383, which covered the natural soil (C3) to the north and had been truncated by the medieval moat F265/F75, and has been interpreted as collapse of spoil which had accumulated on the edge of the feature when it was being created. No traces of a bank on top of this was seen and it seems likely that F793 only reached as far north as the edge of this feature. No finds were recovered from either C2383 or C2252. The last layer of silt which accumulated within this feature (C2408) was deposited a considerable time after the mill structure had fallen into disuse. This context included brown/grey silty clay, which contained occasional flecks of charcoal and reddish clay as well as 17 sherds of medieval pottery, mainly Leinster Cooking Ware but also 4 sherds of Dublin Type Ware, 1 sherd of Dublin Type Fine Ware and 1 sherd of Dublin Type Coarse Ware. Below this, a third layer of collapse bank material (C2256) had been deposited along the southern edge of the feature. This context proved to be the same as one of the main sterile, core/bottom contexts of the bank material (C1895), which due to its coarse nature would have subsided into the shallow depression that remained in evidence from the wheel pit at the time of the construction of the bank. A further two contexts, identified as post-dating the mill, were excavated underneath C2256 and these represent the first silting up of the wheel pit subsequent to its being abandoned. C2410 comprised brown/grey silty sand with large inclusions of clay and occasional inclusions of flecks of charcoal and red clay. Two sherds of Leinster Cooking Ware and one piece of worked flint were retrieved from this context. C3077 was a thin layer of sand and gravel under C2410, resting on top of and around the mill timbers. At the base of the pit the remains of the mill timbers (C3232/F1397) were situated. The silts would have only partially covered the timber and, because of this, some of the protruding wood had dried out in antiquity (this was especially the case with timber 00E0525:3232:1). Most of the stone artefacts found in the wheel pit were associated with milling or related activities, except for the voussoir fragment. This fragment is a piece of architectural stone, and given its fine finish and the fact that it was probably not local in origin, it is likely to have come from a building more prestigious than the mill. It is also much later, dating from the 16th or 17th century. Tailrace of mill F816 The wheel pit narrowed down from a deep sub-oval pit into a linear feature, which decreased in depth and width as it continued northeast. It therefore merged gradually into the tailrace. The tailrace was broken up by two later constructions. The revetted fosse truncated the tailrace approximately 6m into TN (12m from the estimated start of the feature in T10), cutting away close to 4m of its length. The furthest surviving part of the tailrace was in the east part of Trench N where it was truncated by the 13th Century moat F498. The mill therefore pre-dated the revetted fosse enclosure and the North-western Enclosure structure, as F498 represents the latter structure while the medieval moat F265/F75 defines the South-western Enclosure. Examining the courses of both F265/F75 and the headrace F94/F783/F74, they were both approximately curvilinear and ran parallel to each other and this could indicate that they, at least at one point, were contemporaneous features. The entire stretch of the tailrace in TN measured 14.20m (20.5m from the start in Trench 10 to the point where F498 truncated it in the north-east), including the section removed by the revetted fosse and measured from the southern baulk in TN and to the point where F498 cuts F816. The feature became both narrower and shallower the further north it extended. Close to the revetted fosse the feature displayed a complex stratigraphy. 15 fills were recorded in this section alone. The sections through the wheel pit in T10 and the tailrace in TN were compared, but because of the distance between them and possibly because of the difference in depth along the feature, the contexts could not be matched up. The stratigraphy became less complex east of the revetted fosse and it was noted that some of the contexts continued from the section on the west side. Six fills, all of which contained finds of medieval date, were recorded in section at the corner of Trench K. Again, these could not be matched up with the contexts in Trench 10. East of the revetted fosse the cut of the tailrace was recorded as linear with sharp break of slope at the top, gradual at the base with slanted sides and with a slightly convex to flat base. West of the revetted fosse, the break of slope at the top was gradual and at base gradual to imperceptible. The sides changed from very slightly convex along the north side to concave along the south side and the base was flat. The difference in width and depth between these two sections of the tailrace was substantial. The depth recorded in the west was 0.90m, whereas that in the east measured 0.40m. The width only differed by 0.10m between the western section (3.70m) and the eastern section (3.60m) although the difference between the widest part of the race west of the fosse to the narrowest part of the feature east of the fosse was approximately 2m (4.70m-2.70m). The end of the mill One or two of the timbers showed signs of being charred on the surface, but the charring seemed superficial and none of the timbers were burnt all the way through to the core. Whether this is evidence for a destructive fire is difficult to assess. No burnt soil was found in or around the wheel pit and because nothing of the superstructure survived, it was impossible to be certain. Alternatively, the mill could have gone out of use because of poor quality construction. It has been shown above that the headrace had needed to be re-cut several times. The timber in the surviving part of the structure was of poor quality, with young trees of mixed species (possibly from the local; environment) such as oak, ash and alder'. Bolton, J. 2015 Draft Carrickmines Castle Conservation Plan 2015-2025. DLR Co. Co., County Hall, Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin. Breen, T. 2012 Report on the Findings of the Archaeological Excavations at Carrickmines, Co. Dublin - Carried out under licences 00E0525, 02E1532 and Ministerial Directions. M50 South-eastern Motorway Scheme 4 volumes. Prepared on behalf of V.J. Keely Ltd. for Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. See attached map and plan showing location of the 13th century watermill associated with Carrickmines Castle, courtesy of Jason Bolton 2015, 32, 33. See attached site plan showing location of wheel pit, headrace and tailrace of watermill at Carrickmines Castle, taken from excavation report under licence No. 00E0525, 02E1532, Breen 2012, Vol. 4. Compiled by: Geraldine Stout and Padraig Clancy Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 30 December 2022

• DU026-005005 Enclosure
  Description

  Excavations revealed the remains of a south-west enclosure which was described in the Draft Conservation Plan of Carrickmines Castle (DU026-005001-) as follows; 'The northern The defences of Carrickmines Castle (DU026-005001-) consist of three earth and stone ditches. The earliest is the northern enclosure [DU026-005003-], possibly a moated site defended by a broad ditch and containing at least one substantial stone building. Another enclosure was later added to the south-west which had two probable entrances - a causeway or bridge on the south side, and a causeway on the east side. The south-east enclosure [DU026-005002-] was added last and was defended by three sets of defences (i.e. trivallate) with the innermost and central ditch cut into bedrock, and sections of the defences revetted in granite. The south-eastern enclosure had the foundations of a rectangular structure which has been suggested as a gate tower. The excavation report considered that the three conjoined defensive enclosures (north, south-west and southeast enclosures) were built within the space of a few generations by the Lissebon family. These three enclosures extend north, east and west of the farmhouse and barn buildings at Carrickmines' (Bolton 2015, 27-8). See attached plan showing location of the south-west enclosure No. 2, courtesy Jason Bolton 2015, 27. Bolton, J. 2015 Draft Carrickmines Castle Conservation Plan 2015-2025. DLR Co. Co., County Hall, Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin. Compiled by: Geraldine Stout and Padraig Clancy Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 30 December 2022

• DU026-005006 Kiln - corn-drying
  Description

  Breen (2012, 120-1) recorded the following details about the excavated corn-drying kiln (F187) from Trench W2 in Area A at Carrickmines Castle (DU026-005001-); 'The corn-drying kiln F187 was very well preserved. It was probably late medieval in date. It was placed directly on top of the old medieval boundary ditch, F186, exactly at the northern edge of the medieval platform. Its position shows that that the boundary ditch was, by then, out of use although not entirely silted up. Slightly to the south of the kiln, on the yellow platform edge itself was a small area of burnt remains (F188). These consisted of what seemed to be a few shallow scrapes in the soil (F253–F256) in which burnt clay, ash and charcoal had been deposited (C422–C424 and C430), but it was extremely difficult to differentiate the deposited material from the natural soil as they were both of the same composition (clay). This area of deposited material may have been associated with the kiln. A soil sample from one of the shallow pits (C423) contained a piece of medieval Dublin Ware pottery. The bowl of the kiln itself was roughly circular, although slightly flattened, with an east–west diameter of almost 4.00m compared to a north–south diameter of 3.00m. It also has an opening, oriented to the southeast, which is almost certainly the result of a missing boulder from the bowl. The flue of the kiln is approximately 2.50m in length and extends from the bowl in a NNE direction. The stones which form the kiln construction are of local granite, in boulders of varying sizes. The stones which form the bowl are very rough indeed, while the stones from the flue have been squared off. Relative to the surrounding ground level the bowl is approximately l.00m deep, while the flue has a depth of approximately 0.60m. It is probable that a wooden platform would have been built on the stones forming the bowl of the kiln and the corn would have been placed upon this. The construction would also have been roofed. Meanwhile a fire would be lit at the end of the flue, driving hot air into the kiln to dry the corn—the remnants of the last fire (C487) were still present in the flue when it was excavated. A possible vent in the flue was suggested by a scattering of burnt contexts just outside the wall of the flue. The bowl of the kiln had been completely filled by several different deposits. Some of the lower fills produced significant quantities of charcoal. The fills of the flue contained large amounts of burnt material, including one layer (C487) which seemed to be a spread of burnt twigs—possibly remnants of the last fire in the kiln. The upper fill of the flue was understandably simply later infill, with no charcoal present. The possible vent contained several different contexts, of which at least three contained some amounts of charcoal. The fills in the bowl began with C362 and C420. Both of these contexts are sandy silts, but C362 is much darker in colour. C362 is on the northern side of the bowl, (and actually is also picked up in the base of the flue), with C420 on the southern side. Above these contexts was C361, a greyish brown gravelly sand with some charcoal inclusions. It is probably the last of the contexts deposited while the corn drying kiln was still in use. It contained some medieval pottery and animal bone. Above this was C334, which appeared to be a small lens of soil with occasional charcoal flecks. The final bowl fill was C324, a brown, gravelly silt which may be deliberate infill, or simply gradual filling up of the abandoned bowl over time. The fills in the flue are slightly more complicated, with a distinct north–south divide. The first deposits would appear to have been in the north of the flue, with C558 being laid down, followed by C557. Both of these contexts are heavily burnt, grey-black layers with large amounts of charcoal. To the south of these contexts, and slightly overlapping them, is C559, a dark layer with many inclusions of burnt clay. C559 appears to have been laid down at the same time as C556, a black, charcoal-filled layer was laid over C557 in the northern part of the flue. Above these contexts are C455, another burnt, brown-black layer with charcoal inclusions (in the northern part of the flue) and C487, the layer of burnt twigs, (which covers C559 in the southern part of the flue). Further to the south, C362 is beside C487 (and therefore probably contemporary with it). All of these contexts are then sealed by C447, the only layer to show no evidence of burning and probably therefore infill after the kiln had gone out of use. Immediately to the north of the flue an enormous modern cut (F267), associated with the 1996 pipeline, has destroyed any further archaeological evidence. The fills outside the flue of the kiln are rather confusing, and represent either minor scattering of flue deposits, packing around the stones of the kiln or possibly leakage or spillage of flue contents caused by a hole in the flue (either deliberate or accidental) which combined with the heating taking place during times of usage might lead to some material being `blown' through the hole. The localised, thin nature of these contexts means that a stratigraphy can only be estimated, and appears to take the form of C666 as the first deposit, followed by C663, C665, C653, C652 and finally C633. However, all of the deposits are of a sandy composition, and they may just be one context, with various differences in colour caused by activity around the flue'. Breen, T. 2012 Report on the Findings of the Archaeological Excavations at Carrickmines, Co. Dublin - Carried out under licences 00E0525, 02E1532 and Ministerial Directions. M50 South-eastern Motorway Scheme 4 volumes. Prepared on behalf of V.J. Keely Ltd. for Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. See attached site plan showing location of kiln and [photos, section and plan, taken from excavation report under licence No. 00E0525, 02E1532, Breen 2012, Vol. 4. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 3 January 2023

• DU026-005007 Kiln
  Description

  Breen (2012, 58-67) recorded the following details about the excavated kilns (F187) from Trench T5 at Carrickmines Castle (DU026-005001-); 'The earliest medieval features excavated at Carrickmines were located in the area immediately south-west of the unexcavated ‘island’. These features have been divided into two phases of undefended pre-castle structures, comprising two possible building structures [DU026-005008/009-] with related kiln (medieval phase 1) and a horizontal mill [DU026-005004-] with associated features (medieval phase 2). The features which compose the horizontal mill, with its accompanying head- and tail-races, provide a clear stratigraphic watershed. The mill phase truncated two specific areas of early activity. One was represented by the kiln (features F868, F867 and F675) and the other was a large linear boundary ditch (F82). Whereas the kiln has been interpreted as belonging to the earliest phase of activity, associated with Structure A to the Southwest (phase 1), linear feature F82 appeared as an isolated feature which truncated Structure A and was cut by the headrace of the mill and therefore separated phases 1 and 2. The remains of the kiln were situated between Trenches 9 and 5, with the main body of the feature in T5. A second bowl feature, F675, abutted the western end of the primary bowl F868 and this was excavated simultaneously with F868 and its flue F867. This bowl was somewhat different in construction from F868/F867. Instead of a carefully constructed masonry wall the concave cut for the bowl was edged by a single course of natural boulders. The headrace of the mill had truncated most of this feature, however, making the relationship to F868 and the chronology of the two bowls difficult to assess. The two bowls were found to have a single cobbled (F1966) floor. It was cut by a drain (F4102). This floor is likely to be an earlier feature which survived by being re-used as the base of the kiln. The kiln was one of the earliest features present in the Southfield and could well be related to the activities associated with Structure A to the Southwest and Structure B to the North of the kiln. What is certain is that while the construction of the millrace badly damaged the kiln, the later feature, judging by the fact that it had been backfilled before the mill was created, had already been abandoned prior to the time that the mill was constructed. Since the evidence supports the interpretation of the mill as an early feature, which pre-dated both the revetted fosse and the secondary and tertiary fosses as well as the medieval moat F265/F75, the kiln is therefore earlier still. The first phase of the kiln The kiln bowl F868 The diameter of the cut, where it was clearly defined, was 3.80m NW–SE and 4.00m N–S. The internal diameter of the wall was a constant 2.50m, showing that it was carefully constructed. The brown/grey silt (C1640) used to firmly anchor the wall against the side of the cut varied in width along the perimeter. Its widest points were at both the eastern (1.00m) and the western (0.56m) ends of the feature at the point where the millrace truncated the kiln. Towards the north, where the bowl masonry became wider, C1640 was less apparent; this was also the case in the surviving south wall where the width of C1640 measured 0.20m. The masonry in the kiln bowl The remains of the circular-shaped masonry wall C2077/F1428 were of drystone construction and contained roughly-hewn, smaller, rounder stones with the edges facing in towards the centre of the kiln bowl being faced. The circle was not fully joined together but left a trapezoidal gap (measuring 0.28m–0.54m–0.64m from S to N) in the north-west to allow for the flue, which extended to a maximum of 2.66m to the north-west. Although smaller, fist-sized stones were used to fill the crevices between the larger blocks, the wall had no rubble core and was built as a revetment on to the edge of the cut. The masonry was randomly coursed but of high quality and it survived as a 0.60m–0.55m tall structure in three parts. The wall was uneven in thickness throughout its length, measuring 0.80m at widest in the NW, west of the flue gap and 0.12m at its narrowest point where the millrace truncated the masonry in the NE. The average width of the surviving section to the north of the millrace did however remain between 0.40 and 0.60m, whereas the width in the section of the wall that survived south of the headrace was measured to between 0.28m-0.48m. The narrowest measurements occurred at the points where the millrace truncated the feature and it was therefore most likely that 0.28m did not represent the total width of this part of the feature. It might be suggested that 0.48m was closer to the average width. The sections of the wall that were destroyed and robbed out could partially have been used as backfill (C2078) of the bowl subsequent to its abandonment. The part of the wall that existed furthest south later functioned as part of the southern edge of the millrace F783 and some of the rubble from the destroyed wall was also found in the base of this feature. There was evidence to suggest that the height of the wall as it existed at the time of excavation was the original height. What appeared to be remains of a superstructure survived on top of the wall in three separate contexts (C1311, C1854 and C2074 excavated on the northern surviving part of the wall in T10 and two contexts, C1486 and C1487, excavated on the southern remaining part of wall in T5). These five separate deposits of heavily oxidised clay appear to have been part of a clay-covered frame, possibly constructed of wicker or other organic material. It is possible that some of the daub material and maybe even the entire superstructure frame could have collapsed repeatedly during the time the kiln was in use and that the different layers of daub and charcoal are evidence of several phases of activity. Another possibility is that parts of the superstructure could have fallen into the bowl, without the entire frame collapsing. On top of C2139, which was the last destruction context of the feature, the remaining cavity in the bowl had been intentionally backfilled, first by C2141, a mottled coloured and mixed layer of sandy silt/sandy clay that contained frequent flecks of charcoal, oxidised and natural flecks of clay. On top of this a layer of large stones (C2078), possibly resulting from the destruction of the bowl wall by the mill-race, had been dumped in. In between the crevices of these stones, three layers of naturally deposited silts and clays filled the remainder of the bowl. During the creation of the headrace of the mill some time later, some of the dug-out material (C1308) became re-deposited on top of the bowl and parts of the flue. The superstructure of the bowl The evidence of heavily burnt and oxidised clay, both situated on top of the bowl wall F1428/C2077 and as deposits within the bowl and large amounts of charcoal around the edge of the bowl in the destruction layers, points to an organic superstructure covered with clay. This superstructure may have been a wickerwork dome. The remains of clay on top of the wall (C1311, C1854, C2074, C1486 and C1487) suggest that the frame was placed on top of the wall and then secured to it by the clay on both the outside and inside. The clay would have prevented the frame from catching fire and because of its exposure to intense heat it changed to a dark red/orange colour as the particles became oxidised. The clay used for this had probably been cleaned and likely tempered with gravel and coarse sand. Whether the entire frame would have been covered in clay is not certain, but patches of oxidised clay appeared to have fallen into the bowl both during the final destruction of the kiln and also during use. Several layers inside the bowl show evidence of similar soil composition and concentrations of charcoal were detected around the inner circumference of the

• DU026-005008 Building
  Description

  Breen (2012, 44-57) recorded the following details about Structure A from Trenches T2, T5 and T6 at Carrickmines Castle (DU026-005001-); 'The earliest medieval features excavated at Carrickmines were located in the area immediately south-west of the unexcavated ‘island’. These features have been divided into two phases of undefended pre-castle structures, comprising two possible building structures [DU026-005008/009-] with related kiln (medieval phase 1) [DU026-005007-] and a horizontal mill [DU026-005004-] with associated features (medieval phase 2). The features which compose the horizontal mill, with its accompanying head- and tail-races, provide a clear stratigraphic watershed. The mill phase truncated two specific areas of early activity. One was represented by the kiln (features F868, F867 and F675) and the other was a large linear boundary ditch (F82). Whereas the kiln has been interpreted as belonging to the earliest phase of activity, associated with Structure A to the Southwest (phase 1), linear feature F82 appeared as an isolated feature which truncated Structure A and was cut by the headrace of the mill and therefore separated phases 1 and 2. Structure A was located at the western perimeter of the excavated Southfield and it could be traced in Trenches T2, T5 and T6. The features associated with the structure consisted of two slot-trenches or gullies (F101 and F568), four boundary ditches (F635, F96, F85 and F649), five narrower slots which may have been internal divisions (F564, F582, F569, F570 and F587), one hearth (F604), three postholes (F559, F588 and F601), four pits (F95, F597, F594 and F550), one quarry pit (F567), three circular kilns (F543, F544 and F545) and two shallow linear features (F556 and F558). Some of these appear to represent the remains of a truncated structure, with the hearth suggesting domestic activity and the three kilns represent an industrial activity such as metal- or glass-working. There were two distinct sub-phases of activity here, represented by the replacement of gully F101 by a similar gully, F568, with a completely different orientation, and a re-cut and addition to the boundary ditch F635 with F649 and F96. The large ditch F82 truncated the last sub-phase of the structure, presumably after this had been abandoned. As Structure A was one of the earliest features in the Southfield it did not truncate any earlier features but was cut into the natural soil. The natural soil was made up of coarse, mottled sand with clay, silt and sand pockets and frequent inclusions of decayed stones, natural cobble-size stones and occasional protruding outcrops of bedrock. The structure was situated on a northern down-slope at the top of the field and apart from the features already mentioned in association with Structure A, no further features excavated in the vicinity have been interpreted as contemporary with this phase of activity. Structure A appears to have been undefended. No contemporary fosses or other defensive features were found, and there were no stone structures. The earliest sub-phase of Structure A The features associated with the first sub-phase of Structure A were the southern gully F101, the northern boundary ditch F635, the three postholes F559, F588 and F601 as well as the two external linear agricultural features F556 and F558, two miscellaneous pits F95 and F594 and an irregular shaped medieval quarry pit F567. The two largest features in this primary phase were a ditch (F635) running E-W and a gully (F101) partly running parallel to F635, 13.50m to the south, but then turning north-eastwards and passing 4.00m to the east of the end of F635. The only definite traces of a structure are three postholes: F559, F601 and F588. The latter was larger than the other two, and was not in the same alignment. The first two suggest a structure with a north-south (or east-west) alignment. Posthole F588 is next to gully F101 and may have predated it, as does the sub-circular pit F597, situated 1.50m to the west. The area between F635 and F101 was completely empty of features, with no traces of domestic refuse, remains of a hearth or rakings of charcoal, soot or ash. To the west of F101, two features (F556, F558) appeared to be plough furrows, suggesting that the structure was a farmhouse or outbuilding. Feature descriptions for the earliest phase of Structure A Sub-circular shaped pit F597 This feature was a sub-circular shaped pit filled with what resembled redeposited natural coarse sand and gravel, mottled in colour, and natural stones (C1042, C1136 in T2). The fill also contained medieval pottery such as Leinster Cooking Ware and Dublin Type Ware. The pit had been truncated by ditch F101 to the south, but from east to west the feature extended from T6 into T2. The extent of the feature was difficult to see at the pre-excavation stage, as the surrounding natural was very similar. The feature was very irregular in plan as well as having irregularities in the sides and base. This feature belonged to the earliest phase of activities in the area. The relationship to other features in the vicinity is uncertain. Although F101 truncated F597, it was unlikely that these belong to two distinct phases, but rather that F597 only slightly pre-dated F101. Ditch F101 This ditch was mostly within T2, but extended for c.1m into T6. At its western end in T6, it was 1.80-1.55m wide, but it appeared to taper to a width of 0.60m in Trench 5. F101 maintained a depth of 0.45-0.50m throughout its entirety and the excavated length was 21.00m. The sides were concave and with sharp break of slope, both on the top and base, and were mostly flat but became rounded towards the terminus in T6. From T6, F101 continued directly east for about 5m whereupon it turned towards the north-northeast. The feature contained three fills. The bottom fill (C1098) was coarse, silty sand which extends along the entire feature. F101 has two top fills, C1043 and C189; they have been recorded as abutting each other since the change-over was very diffuse and the exact relationship was impossible to determine. In T6 and about half-way into T5, the top fill (C1043) was a coarse sand with clay inclusions containing a large amount of medieval Leinster Cooking Ware pottery. C189 was brown/grey sandy silt which also contained medieval pottery. F101 had been truncated at numerous stages by both medieval and post-medieval features and it in turn truncated earlier medieval features. In the east this gully was truncated by a later ditch, F82, and it is not certain whether it continued on the other side of this. Boundary ditch F635 F635 was a shallow ditch which ran WNW-ESE for approximately 30m through Trenches T12 and T6 and continued for c.5m into Trench 5 where it terminated in a rounded end. Width and depth varied but the ditch was generally narrower and shallower towards the east. Sides were either sloping or slightly concave and the base was flat. The fill of the ditch consisted of a thin layer of silt C1011 and a layer of fine sand C1003, both of which were part of the natural silting-up process. Underneath these a deposit of sandy silt was situated along the northwestern edge of the ditch, possibly a collapse of spoil from the creation of the ditch. C999 and C1123 were backfill contexts of F635 and they contained moderate amounts of medieval pottery and fragments of animal bone. Although the thin layers of natural silting suggest that the ditch might not have been filled with water for long, it seems to have been open and in use during at least the first and some of the second phase of Structure A. Where the ditch terminated in T5, another smaller medieval ditch (F96) either cut F635 or was created as an extension to it. This ran towards the south-east. The western end, in Trench T12, terminated at a large protrusion of bedrock and a stone-filled quarry-pit F4387. In this area, the ditch was U-shaped in section, with one main fill, C4692. This was the primar

• DU026-005009 Building
  Description

  Breen (2012, 67-74) recorded the following details about Structure B from Trenches TN and T11 at Carrickmines Castle (DU026-005001-); 'Structure B is the collective description for a series of features in the north-east corner of the south field in Trenches TN and T11. These appear to pre-date the medieval building in Trench N and thus the medieval horizontal mill [DU026-005004-] which was uncovered in Trench T10. Based on the stratigraphy alone, these features would appear to be the earliest existing in Trench TN and surrounding areas and could therefore be related both to the kiln [DU026-005007-], 20.00m to the south, and Structure A [DU026-005008-], at the south-western corner of the south field. Like Structure A, Structure B was partly comprised of ditches and gullies, and seemed to have been an undefended structure. Only the westernmost part of Structure B was excavated, as the feature continued north and east outside the limit of excavation. Because of this, any interpretations of the structure can only be based on a small percentage of its total extent. The largest feature, F233, was curvilinear in shape and functioned as the outermost boundary of an enclosure. Within this enclosure, a gully, F906, echoed the curve of F233. F906 in turn truncated a NE-SW oriented linear feature, F996. Also associated with this group of early features were one miscellaneous linear feature F901, a circular pit, F1100, and a large circular furnace F1025. Although F233 and F906 showed no evidence of a physical relationship, they do respect each other’s plan, and the distance between them was approximately 5.80m between them for most of their extent. All of these early features existed within the enclosing F233 and most of them also within F906, although F906 appears as a later sub-phase than F996. F1100 was situated close to the eastern baulk in Trench N and had been severely truncated by both F233 in the south and by a modern over-cut edge of the medieval moat, F498, resulting in only a quarter of the feature remaining intact. The southernmost edge of furnace F1025 also truncated F996, and although only a very small portion of F996 was destroyed it clearly shows that these two features belonged to two possibly separate sub-phases. In addition to these features already mentioned, one additional feature, situated between F906 and F233, was excavated. This feature, F969, was large and irregular in both shape and depth and had possibly been truncated in modern times. This feature contained one square block of modern concrete, which was uncovered in the south end, and four pieces of flint debitage and one possible flint scraper found in the top fill C2643. No other finds were associated with this feature. Phasing of Structure B The division of the features related to Structure B into sub-phases has proved extremely difficult to assess, mainly because some of the features do not share physical relationships. F1100 was unquestionably earlier than F233, however it is not clear whether F233 was earlier or later than F906. Even though F901 was situated firmly within the enclosing F906, they were clearly separated stratigraphically, as F901 truncated a layer that covered the top fill of F906. F996 and F1025 were both earlier than F906, but since F1025 truncated F996, these two also belonged to different sub-phases. The earliest features associated with Structure B could therefore be narrowed down to F996 and F1100. Subsequent to these, F1025, F906 and F233 were created, closely followed by F901. As the features are not contemporary, it is not possible to identify the shape of a structure, especially as part of any such structure would lie outside the excavated area. The most we can say is that various activities involving the digging of pits and trenches took place here at an early stage, probably contemporary with the kiln and Structure A. The curvilinear ditch F233, which seems to have enclosed the other features, certainly pre-dates the earliest phase of the medieval building situated immediately to the south. Similarities to Structure A The features related to Structure B were cut into the natural soil, which was mottled coarse sand with inclusions of finer sand, clay, silt, decayed stones and natural rocks and like Structure A the internal area (the area inside and east of F233) did not display any remains of human activity such as charcoal spreads. Neither were there any finds from outside the features already mentioned. Again, the features, as mentioned above, did not seem to be related to defensive structures such as the medieval moats F498 and F265/F75, but appeared to be simply domestic gullies and boundary enclosures. Although a quantity of medieval pottery (Leinster Cooking Ware and Dublin Type Ware) was found in the features, most of the bottom layers were sterile of finds. Some of these finds could have been intrusive, as features F906, F901 and F996 were severely truncated by post-medieval animal burials. The function of Structure B Because only a restricted part of Structure B could be excavated, it was not possible to assess the function. There may be more gullies and pits associated with the structure, and the further course of curvilinear features F906 and F233 to the north-west is unknown. Even taking into account later truncation, F906 clearly comes to an end to the end of F969, so it is not part of a continuous enclosure, whereas F233 could have formed a circular enclosure which would have included the site of the present farmhouse'. Breen, T. 2012 Report on the Findings of the Archaeological Excavations at Carrickmines, Co. Dublin - Carried out under licences 00E0525, 02E1532 and Ministerial Directions. M50 South-eastern Motorway Scheme 4 volumes. Prepared on behalf of V.J. Keely Ltd. for Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. See attached site plan showing location of Structure B and and plan, taken from excavation report under licence No. 00E0525, 02E1532, Breen 2012, Vol. 4. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 3 January 2023

• DU026-005010 Building
  Description

  Breen (2012, 88-101) recorded the following details about Structure C from Trench N at Carrickmines Castle (DU026-005001-); 'When an extensive layer of re-deposited natural (C260) was removed from Trench N, two medieval buildings overlying one another were uncovered and identified. Both of these had been truncated in the south-eastern end by the South-western Enclosure (F75/F265) and hence pre-dated this early defensive phase of Carrickmines Castle. These houses are likely to have been approximately contemporary with the horizontal mill [DU026-005004-] located in Trench 10, and perhaps associated with it. The later building structure was delineated by a crude, rectangular foundation of large granite boulders, which incorporated a semi-circular shaped boulder platform in the east, some scattered boulders and internal cluster of boulders it appeared as a foundation divided into two rooms (Room A and Room B). No additional features appeared to be associated with this structure and apart from a large spread of finds-rich soil (C279), which covered parts of the structure, only a few other spreads (such as C277, C280 and C533) could definitely be linked with it. Two postholes (F741 and F865) set into re-deposited natural (C2727), were situated in the SE of the structure. However, because C279 overlay the destruction layer of these features, they are more likely to be of earlier date. Also, approximately 5.50m north of F171 a hearth (F218) was situated. Although spreads from this hearth proved to cover some of the backfill layers of gully F869 of the earlier building (Structure C), it is not certain which of the two buildings it is related to. The evidence of the earlier building (Structure C), which the stone foundation (F171) succeeded, consisted of a raised floor surface of re-deposited natural (C3190) with external gullies (F869 and F712) on the western, southern and eastern flanks, and three shallow furnaces (F463, F237 and F1162) with a large number of stake holes surrounding them. Within the western gully (F869), a smooth cobbled surface (F894) with a step feature (F944) was identified and in the southwest, slightly truncating F869, a large pit containing a hearth was uncovered (F1184). Structure C post-dated Structure B, situated immediately to the west and interpreted as belonging to the first phase of medieval occupation of Carrickmines. It is likely that vestiges of the enclosing ditch F233 were visible as a slight depression at the time when the raised floor surface was created. The evidence for this consisted in the fact that the floor surface only extended as far north as the edge of F233 and as well as this, the eastern gully (F712) seemed to partially have used the same course as F233 for draining of surface water. Structure C appears to have been contemporary with Structure D [DU026-005011-] in Trench 11 approximately 5m to the north-west. In both cases the gullies had largely filled up when they were truncated by drain F257, and both features appear to have truncated or overlain features associated with Structure B (i.e. F233). The three features F463, F237 and F1162 dug into the raised floor surface of Structure C were all shallow pits which contained large quantities of charcoal-rich soil and associated spreads. They resembled hearth pits, but it seems more likely that they were the base bowls of some type of furnace or oven-type features. The bases of all of these features were covered in red/orange oxidised soil which indicates in-situ burning at a high temperature. This phenomenon may occur in hearths but these features are small, and their bowl-like shapes are unlike hearths. A hearth is more likely to have been a single, larger, flat structure, similar to the external hearth (F218) situated approximately 5.5m north of Structure C. The 36 stake-holes which surrounded the three features suggest that some type of structure of post and wattle was present, perhaps forming the superstructure of each of the features. A quantity of carbonised wheat was found in the fill of F463, and smaller quantities of rye and cereal chaff was found in all three features. This suggests that they were some kind of corn-drying kilns. F869 and F712 clearly defined the perimeters of Structure C. Because of their shallow depth and extensive width (over 1m in most places except for in the SW where F1184 truncated the gully), and the fact that F869 contained a paved surface (F894) and a step feature (F944), they were initially not thought to have been footing trenches for the walls of the structure. If F869 and F712 were indeed the foundation trenches of Structure C, it suggests that Structure C was open at one end— a structure with only three walls on the eastern, southern and western sides and an open northern end. Taken with the furnace-like features, this suggests that Structure C was an industrial building. It could have been ancillary to Structure D, which is more likely to have been a domestic building'. Breen, T. 2012 Report on the Findings of the Archaeological Excavations at Carrickmines, Co. Dublin - Carried out under licences 00E0525, 02E1532 and Ministerial Directions. M50 South-eastern Motorway Scheme 4 volumes. Prepared on behalf of V.J. Keely Ltd. for Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. See attached site plan showing location of Structure C and plan, taken from excavation report under licence No. 00E0525, 02E1532, Breen 2012, Vol. 4. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 3 January 2023

• DU026-005011 House - medieval
  Description

  Breen (2012, 101-08) recorded the following details about Medieval House Site (Structure D) from Trench T11 at Carrickmines Castle (DU026-005001-); 'Near the eastern edge of T11, the remains of a multi-phased medieval house were found, next to an L-shaped spread of glacial boulders. In layer C2, above it, a high density of medieval pottery had been found. A platform of re-deposited natural was laid down to level the ground over the earlier ditch F758. The internal house area was flanked by drainage gullies on the northwest and southeast sides. These gullies represent at least three phases, which may correspond to different phases within the house itself, although the complex group of features within the house cannot easily be divided into features. The internal area of the house was represented by a shallow depression 4.50m by 3.20m where an area of ground had been compressed and flattened to make a floor. Eleven postholes were excavated inside this floor area, along with nine further features, some of which were associated with hearth activity but others may be simply hollows from stone clearance. Two groups of four stake-holes which have various possible interpretations were also excavated. Finally, three possible refuse pit features were recorded. Platform and floor surface The house was constructed on a platform of re-deposited natural comprising two separate contexts can be distinguished within the whole. Around the hearth area there was compact yellowish brown sandy clay with frequent charcoal inclusions (C2485). The rest of the house area was built on darker, orange/brown, gravelly sandy-clay (C2483). The difference in appearance and consistency between these contexts may simply be due to the constant sweeping of the hearth area. Alternatively the differences could reflect the presence of the large filled-in ditch F758 underlying the house. The exact relationships between these redeposited layers themselves and in turn their relationships with the underlying ditch fills are not known. Internal postholes Thirteen postholes were excavated within the internal house area. Although no regular house plan was discernable from the layout of the postholes themselves, the distribution follows that suggested by the foundation cut. Nine postholes (F889, F891, F968, F1235, F1239, F4026, F4050 and F1416) were large enough to be considered to have had load-bearing capabilities. F968 was the shallowest of these, at only 0.07m deep; it had a large flat base stone wedged into the bottom of the posthole. The exact function of these uprights in the construction of the house was uncertain but they could have supported cross beams or rafters. A dark spread (C2371) overlaid the internal floor surface and partially overlaid the charcoal spreads C2679 and C2732. It had built up over the internal floor surface because this was compacted so that it lay slightly lower than the surrounding area. C2371 was probably natural build up after the house had gone out of use. Between the postholes F889 and F1239/F1235 was a straight-sided strip of clean floor surface. This overlay a shallow gully, F4023, which is likely to have been a wall-slot for a partition dividing the house into two rooms. It was mostly straight, but deflected slightly in the middle by two of the load-bearing postholes (F1235, F1239). Although C2371 was not a very substantial layer (0.03m max) it was clear and it had some well-defined edges. The fill of posthole F891, C2427, was composed of 50% loose dark brown sandy silt and 50% small gravelly pockets. The stone gravel inclusions may have been originally used as a packing material. Another posthole which contained stone within its fill, C3003, was F1239. A further posthole, F942, was cut into the top of a larger pit, F890 (see below) which has been interpreted as a storage pit. It is possible that F942 was actually a small storage pit Three smaller postholes F1413, F1414 and F1415 form a small arc in the northwest corner of the internal area. They were almost identical in their size and their shape, suggesting their association with each other and perhaps a common function. They were all circular in plan, ranging from 0.14 to 0.15m in diameter and between 0.05m and 0.08m in depth. The small size of these features suggests they were unlikely to have held large load-bearing posts. It was more likely that they held smaller posts which supported a dividing wall, or partition, made of mud or wattle and daub, or a mixture of both. The relatively small number of postholes on the site of a building which may have had at least three phases of construction suggests that the walls of this structure may have been built directly on to the flattened foundation platform of sandy clay. Any further timber uprights used in the construction could have been either fixed in to a large horizontal sill beam, or simply fixed between the flattened ground surface and the load which they were supporting. It is unlikely that it was primarily a timber-framed structure, as no nails were found during excavation. Walls of mud and stone and a thatched roof are more likely, with timber rafters and supporting uprights with wattle partitioning. Central Hearth F872 This seemed to have been a rather basic hearth, with no evidence for any sort of superstructure. It included a large granite stone and the fire seemed to have been lit directly on to the ground surface. The hearthstones were recorded as C3203. The central feature was a large square granite slab, measuring 0.45m by 0.40m and was 0.15m thick, positioned on the south-eastern edge of the spreads of burnt material (C2732 and C2679). Most of the hearth activity seemed to have been focused around the slab, including the fire pit F1412 which was adjacent to, and even slightly underlying, C3203. The surface of the stone itself was blackened but showed no signs of fire-cracking. The stone may have been used as a base for the fire, and it could have been used for baking once the stone was sufficiently heated. However, it may simply have been used to stand a cooking pot on, or to keep the pot next to the fire but raised above the heat. One other large stone which was part of the hearth was a re-used millstone fragment. It measured 0.32m by 0.22m and was 0.07m thick; it was positioned just 0.13m northeast of the larger slab. It was evidently chosen because it was so flat and may have been a stand for cooking vessels. This smaller stone was lying on top of C3274, the upper fill of the fire-pit F1412. Extensive areas of the internal floor surface, under C2679, were scorched from fires lit directly on top of it and the brownish yellow clay had been oxidized a bright orange red or burnt black. The burning was concentrated around the slab stone with two areas of heavily scorched earth to the west and east of the large stone. There was no evidence of burning under the stone C3203—so these fires were obviously associated with that slab. 0.80m northwest of the hearthstone the floor had been burnt and left a crescent shaped charcoal lens with a small scorched earth patch adjacent to it. The crescent shape may have occurred where burning was focussed around a large slab that was later moved. Fire-pit F1412 Immediately northeast of the large hearthstone was a circular depression measuring 0.40m by 0.40m and 0.14m deep with regular sides and a flat base. A layer of charcoal (C3275) 0.04m thick covered the base and the sides of F1412. This charcoal layer was then in turn covered by C3274—a 0.10m thick light yellow sandy silt fill—the main fill of F1412. This appears to have been a fire pit. The large hearthstone which overlay F1412 by 0.04m may have been used to raise cooking vessels over the fire in F1412. An alternative explanation was that it was used for the storage of ashes or for baking. The pit was cut directly into the floor surface C2483. On top of C3274, was the thinner hearthstone/quern stone (Stone artifact. 73), and the charcoal-rich hearth lay

• DU026-005012 Well
  Description

  Breen (2012, 128-9) recorded the following details about the stone-lined stepped well (F1380) at Carrickmines Castle (DU026-005001-); 'On the west side of the building was a stone-lined well. It was constructed in a sub-circular foundation pit (F1244), which cut into the natural subsoil and truncated the earlier run-off feature (C2401). The well had a corbelled roof which would originally have risen about 0.40m above the surrounding ground level. The sides of the foundation cut sloped gently inwards. The pit was 2.50m deep. The wall (C3199) was built of granite stones of varying sizes. It had no external face, but in the interior there were seven faces. The north-west face included three granite steps—the top step was a threshold and consisted of two flat slabs of granite (C3075). The bottom step was more trapezoidal than rectangular, creating a slight curve in the stairway, and its southern edge was flush with the wall of the well proper, rather than protruding into it. Both this step and the one above were made of single, squared blocks of granite. The third step consisted of two smaller blocks. None showed extensive wear. The side of the well dropped vertically from the bottom step. The sides of the stairway were constructed of large dressed granite stones. To the right of the steps, the north-west face was 0.4m wide and built in drystone construction using smaller stones. A rounded stone protruded from the eastern corner. The western face was straight and 0.5m wide. The south-east face was 1.4m long, meeting the slightly curved south-west (1.10m) face at an approximate right angle under a granite lintel, forming a kind of niche. There was an acutely angled indent in the south-east face just outside the niche. The north-east face is 0.8m wide. The upper courses of C3199 consisted of larger pieces of granite and slate corbels, which would originally have met under a central capstone. Once the walls of the well had been constructed the remainder of the foundation cut was filled with stones and gritty sand (C2548). The stones were predominantly granite, some decayed, and were larger towards the top of the fill. Pottery from this context included Leinster Cooking Ware, Dublin-type ware, some Sgraffito ware and a single piece of clay pipe stem. These later finds are probably the result of disturbance of the upper surface. The primary fill was C4087, a soft dark grey clayey sand with frequent inclusions of small stones. It produced one piece of leather and one piece of worked wood, along with numerous animal bones. Above this was C4085, a dark brownish highly organic black silty sand with 25% straw. Leather and worked wood were found in this context also, along with frequent animal bone and occasional shells. This context was below C4056, a firm mid-orange brown highly organic silty sand with 40% straw matted throughout the fill. Finds consisted of leather, worked wood and a possible rubbing stone. The fill also produced razor shells, periwinkle shells, twigs and hazelnuts. Frequent stones, mostly of granite and limestone and of various sizes, were found. A very soft black silty sand (C4067) found along the walls is probably leached from the adjoining layers. Above these was C3198, a sticky, dark brown to black organic deposit containing straw, wood and shells (especially razor shells). This waterlogged deposit stopped 0.10m below the bottom step. Above it was a dark grey to black, silty sand (C3192) containing charcoal flecks and fragments of brick and mortar. It also contained frequent animal bones, post-medieval pottery (e.g. Westerwald) and the bowl of a 17th century clay pipe. This fill stopped about 0.10m below the second step. The uppermost fill of the well was loose, dark brown clay (C2612), which extended to a point about 50 mm. below the large diagonal lintel. It contained bone, a piece of metal and several sherds of post-medieval pottery. This context may represent a deliberate backfilling of the well before the construction of the wall (C1239). The wall sat on the threshold (C3075) and on the southern side of the well fill (C2612) where it covered the steps. Just prior to the building of the wall, a small fire was built on this threshold leaving a charcoal-rich deposit (C2684) on its stones and on the surface of the upper well fill (C2612), level with the threshold'. Breen, T. 2012 Report on the Findings of the Archaeological Excavations at Carrickmines, Co. Dublin - Carried out under licences 00E0525, 02E1532 and Ministerial Directions. M50 South-eastern Motorway Scheme 4 volumes. Prepared on behalf of V.J. Keely Ltd. for Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. See attached site plan showing location of well and photos, section and plan, taken from excavation report under licence No. 00E0525, 02E1532, Breen 2012, Vol. 4. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 3 January 2023

• DU026-005013 Burial
  Description

  Breen (2012, 236-7) recorded the following details about the 17th century mass grave found in Trench N at Carrickmines Castle (DU026-005001-); 'Near the western side of Trench N, two mass graves were found, immediately below the sod layer, with two further burials nearby. The first mass burial, the larger grave, F168, Burial 1 (Figure 49), consisted of a sub-rectangular cut, measuring 3.30m x 1.50m in plan, with a maximum, depth of 0.50m. No break of slope could be seen as top or base, and the sides sloped down gradually to a slightly rounded base. It contained 9 skeletons. These appeared to have been haphazardly placed in the grave, with skeletons lying head to foot and on top of each other, but there was an overall NE/SW orientation. Two skeletons lying with their heads to the west (skeletons 2 and 3) appear to have been placed beside each other in the grave first. Next, skeletons 4, 5, 7, 8 and 10 were placed with heads to the west and subsequently skeletons 6 and 9 were placed with their heads to the east. Relatively few finds were recovered in direct association with the skeletons. Some smaller fragments of pottery were retrieved from the backfill material, but more importantly, alongside the left femur bone of skeleton 9 (alternatively the right femur of skeleton 8) a silver coin hoard was found. This hoard, containing eight Elizabethan sixpences and two Elizabethan shillings were all in perfect condition. Beside the elbow of the left arm of skeleton 8 a James I shilling was retrieved and beside the right femur bone of skeleton 6, in the loose spoil just outside the grave cut, yet another Elizabethan sixpence was found. As all these coins were found so close to the body, there is a possibility that they were sewn into the clothes. Unfortunately no textiles or organic materials survived. A pin brooch was found on the right side of the spine of skeleton 2, and an earring of copper alloy was discovered close to either left femur of skeleton b (or the right tibia of skeleton 4). Other finds associated with the skeleton are one musket ball, two metal objects and one pin (found on the femur, close to the knee of skeleton 4). The eastern end of the grave had been truncated, probably by later agricultural activities. The second mass burial Approximately 3.00m north-west of the first grave was a second, with 8 skeletons. The cut for this grave could not be traced. The skeletons were lying in the same orientation as the skeletons from grave F168 (NE–SW) and on a flat surface and like skeletons 2–10 at a shallow depth under the sod layer. The skeletons from this grave were in a much more fragile condition than those in grave F168, and some cases only a few scattered bones remained of a skeleton. The grave had been truncated in several places, to the northeast and south, probably by more recent agricultural activity. Unlike grave F168, only one find was directly associated with a skeleton: an iron key lying directly under the right lower arm of skeleton 12. Other burials and human remains A single burial was found between the two mass graves, containing the remains of a child aged between 9 and 10 years. An individual skeleton was found 7.45m north-east of the two mass graves. This was called Skeleton 19. The body was found lying face down on a flat surface in a NE–SW direction. There was no visible grave cut. There was little evidence of truncation, but the condition of this skeleton was quite poor. It may have been damaged by root disturbance as it was near the later hedge bounding the garden of the modern farmhouse. Various fragments of disarticulated bones were found in different parts of the site, including a group from the inner fosse of the north-eastern enclosure'. Breen, T. 2012 Report on the Findings of the Archaeological Excavations at Carrickmines, Co. Dublin - Carried out under licences 00E0525, 02E1532 and Ministerial Directions. M50 South-eastern Motorway Scheme 4 volumes. Prepared on behalf of V.J. Keely Ltd. for Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. See attached site plan showing location of burials, photos, and plan, taken from excavation report under licence No. 00E0525, 02E1532, Breen 2012, Vol. 4. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 3 January 2023

• DU026-005014 Prehistoric site - lithic scatter
  Description

  Breen (2012, 40) recorded the following details about the prehistoric site at Carrickmines Castle (DU026-005001-); 'Evidence was found for human activity in the Carrickmines area throughout the prehistoric period. Most of this evidence is from artefacts. Few features of prehistoric dates were found, although some pits and other features of unknown date around the site may also have an early date. However, the extensive development of the site in the medieval and post-medieval periods may have destroyed earlier features. The distribution of lithics on the site shows four distinct concentrations. One is in the Westfield, especially trench W2. Some features in this area were believed to be of prehistoric date, and in the medieval period it appears to have been a ploughed field. Another is the southern tip of the Southfield. Trench T4 produced 772 pieces of flint, which is the largest concentration anywhere on the site. Like the Westfield, this is a relatively undisturbed part of the site, showing few later features. Remains of medieval structures were found in Trenches T6 and T2 (the latter trench was rich in lithics), but T4 had little apart from stone spreads and a few pits. The lack of obvious prehistoric features suggests that these may be present in the unexcavated area nearby. The remaining two concentrations were on either side of the unexcavated farmhouse site, in Trenches 11, N and J, which had the densest concentrations of medieval and post-medieval structures on the site. This may be an example of the later re-use of a piece of ground which had already been selected in prehistoric times as suitable for settlement. As a slightly raised, dry area adjoining a wet, marshy area with streams, it fits this suggestion quite well. The analysis of the lithics suggests that they were deposited at various stages throughout prehistory. The early and late Mesolithic periods are represented, and there are a lot of Neolithic implements, especially scrapers. A petit-tranchet derivative arrowhead (02E1532:52:1) is a later Neolithic type, and some of the scrapers are likely to extend into the Early Bronze Age, as are the barbed and tanged arrowheads. Most of the lithic material is flint-knapping debris, showing that the implements were prepared nearby. Most of the raw material probably consisted of beach pebbles brought up from the coast. Some arrowheads testify to hunting, but the scrapers and an awl were probably for converting hides into leather, showing that there was some domestic settlement, although whether this was temporary or permanent is not clear'. Breen, T. 2012 Report on the Findings of the Archaeological Excavations at Carrickmines, Co. Dublin - Carried out under licences 00E0525, 02E1532 and Ministerial Directions. M50 South-eastern Motorway Scheme 4 volumes. Prepared on behalf of V.J. Keely Ltd. for Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. See attached site plan showing distribution map of lithic scatter, taken from excavation report under licence No. 00E0525, 02E1532, Breen 2012, Vol. 4. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 4 January 2023

• DU026-018 Cross
  Description

  This granite boulder, containing a socket for a cross, is located in the front garden of a modern house, on the lands of Springfield Farm. It is level with the ground (boulder dims. L 0.76m, Wth 0.35m, D 0.23m). The socket is rectangular in plan (L 0.35m, Wth 0.20m, D 0.02m). According to the Schools Survey (1937) in the Irish Folklore Commission, there was a tradition that the cross was buried somewhere in the immediate vicinity (ÓhEalidhe 1959, 207). Compiled by: Geraldine Stout and Padraig Clancy. Revised upload on: 14 April 2018.

• DU026-080001 Enclosure
  Description

  The OS Letters (1837) include sketches of the Brennanstown/Carrickmines Great area that show a series of enclosures to the S of site of an 'ancient mill'. This was located on a stream E of Carrickmines that runs into Glendruid Glen. There is no visible trace of these enclosures. Compiled by: Geraldine Stout and Padraig Clancy. Revised upload on: 21 April 2018.

• DU026-080002 Water mill - unclassified
  Description

  The 1836 OS 6-inch map shows the 'site of ancient mill' along a stream E of Carrickmines that runs into Glendruid Glen. It is marked on the Down Survey (1655-6) map and the Civil survey (1654-6) states that there was a corn mill and tuck mill here (Simington 1945). The OS Letters include sketches of this area which show the foundations of a rectangular building and a feature marked 'Old Quern' (O'Flanagan 1927, 16). Paddy Healy has pinpointed the site as being within the wooded area of the Druid's Glen(Pers. comm. Rob Goodbody). Compiled by: Geraldine Stout and Padraig Clancy. Revised upload on: 21 April 2018.

• DU026-122 Linear earthwork
  Description

  Goodbody (1993, 30) has identified a linear section of bank in a golf Course at Carrickmines, which he suggests, could be part of the Pale Ditch. This runs in a NNW-ESE direction on a plateau in a N facing mountain slope. It has extensive views of the Killiney coast in the E and Dublin Mountains in the S; views are restricted in the W and N. It comprises a flat-topped bank (L 106m, max. Wth 4m, H 0.70m). This is planted along its length with evergreen trees. There is a modern break in the S end of the earthwork. There is a ditch along the W side (Wth 3m, D 0.52m) and traces of a silted up ditch along the E side of the earthwork, near where it terminates in the S. Compiled by: Geraldine Stout and Padraig Clancy. Revised upload on: 21 April 2018.

• DU026-135 Fulacht fia
  Description

  The site was identified in 1998 during topsoil-stripping during the construction of a gas pipeline as a 7.5m (N-S) by 6m spread of burnt stone and charcoal in a loose, silty clay matrix. It had been truncated by a field drain running north-south through the middle of it. A pit was identified below the eastern portion of the site. It measured 0.95m (SE/NW) by 0.7m and was up to 0.42m deep. The pit was full of a deposit of burnt material that could not be distinguished from the burnt stone spread. A flake of struck flint was recovered (O Neill 2000, 37-9, O'Neill 1999). Compiled by: Geraldine Stout Uploaded on: 19 April 2017

• DU026-145 Rock art
  Description

  This is one of three small boulders (DU026-146/147----) containing cup-marks which were discovered during archaeological investigations on the route of the South-Eastern Motorway (Clinton 2002, 87; 2004, 131). Rock A described by Dr Muriris O'Sullivan as a; 'Slightly rounded granite boulder (00E0525:3:104). The surface into which the cupmarks are carved is convex in form with at least 24 cupmarks to be seen on a face measuring 0.61m x 0.38m. The largest of the cupmarks measure approximately 4 cm across while the smallest examples are about half that diameter. The field of cupmarks extends more or less over the entire area of the face. In spite of the variations in size the cupmarks appear to form a coherent group in general disposition on the stone, individual form and carving technique' (Breen 2012, 397). Breen, T. 2012 Report on the Findings of the Archaeological Excavations at Carrickmines, Co. Dublin - Carried out under licences 00E0525, 02E1532 and Ministerial Directions. M50 South-eastern Motorway Scheme 4 volumes. Prepared on behalf of V.J. Keely Ltd. for Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. See attached drawing of rock art taken from Breen 2012, Fig. 8.3.1 Compiled by: Geraldine Stout and Padraig Clancy. Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 4 January 2023

• DU026-146 Rock art
  Description

  This is one of three small boulders (DU026-145/147----) containing cup-marks which were discovered during archaeological investigations on the route of the South-Eastern Motorway (Clinton 2002, 87; 2004, 131). Rock B described by Dr Muriris O'Sullivan as a; 'Slightly rounded granite boulder (00E0525:1:6094). The surface into which the cupmarks are carved is convex in form with a fault line running along the centre of the face for approximately half its length. This face measures 0.60m x 0.48m. There are at least nine cupmarks to be seen on the face, generally clustered near the centre and arranged in two loose arcs, with an outlier. Three of them are formed along the fault line and these might conceivably be natural' (Breen 2012, 397). Breen, T. 2012 Report on the Findings of the Archaeological Excavations at Carrickmines, Co. Dublin - Carried out under licences 00E0525, 02E1532 and Ministerial Directions. M50 South-eastern Motorway Scheme 4 volumes. Prepared on behalf of V.J. Keely Ltd. for Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. See attached drawing of rock art taken from Breen 2012, Fig. 8.3.2 Compiled by: Geraldine Stout and Padraig Clancy. Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 4 January 2023

• DU026-150 Fulacht fia
  Description

  A burnt mound was identified during topsoil-stripping for the South-Eastern Motorway (M50). An area of decayed and burnt stone (L9m, Wth 20m) was revealed which covered two possible troughs . A sherd of Early Bronze Age pottery was found in the fill (O'Reilly 2004, 134). Compiled by: Geraldine Stout and Padraig Clancy. Revised upload on: 26 May 2018.

Architectural heritage

No building of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage stands in the townland of Carrickmines Great.

Designated sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service. Recorded monuments: Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service. Buildings: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Works at or in relation to a recorded monument need two months' written notice to the National Monuments Service (National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, section 12).

Radon

About 1 in 5 homes in this area is likely to have high radon levels. Testing a home

Landslides

Susceptibility moderately high, moderately low, low, low (inferred), on the 1:50,000 map.

Flooding

The flood maps of the Office of Public Works: floodinfo.ie.

Radon Risk Map of Ireland, Environmental Protection Agency; Landslide Susceptibility Classification, Geological Survey Ireland; both CC BY 4.0.

No address of the register names Carrickmines Great with five sales or more. The sales of the area are on the page of Co. Dublin.

Name

Carrickmines Great · Carraig Mhaighin Mhór

Area

2,201,056 m² (220.11 ha, 543.89 acres)

Civil parish

Tully, and its townlands

Barony

Rathdown

Electoral division

Cabinteely-Loughlinstown, the unit of the census

Neighbouring townlands

Ballyogan, Brenanstown, Carrickmines Little, Glenamuck North, Glenamuck South, Jamestown, Laughanstown, Tiknick

Placenames

Carrickmines Great on logainm.ie, the Placenames Database of Ireland

Townlands, civil parishes, baronies and electoral divisions, National Statutory Boundaries, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. A townland is the smallest land division of Ireland, and the unit of a rural address; old registers such as the 1901 and 1911 censuses file it under its civil parish and barony.