Almost 1,000 human skeletons dating from the early Christian period have been found in Cabinteely, south Co Dublin, on the site of a proposed petrol station. The discoveries could reveal important insights into the early population of south Dublin, according to archaeologist, Mr Malachy Conway.
The site was probably an enclosed cemetery and may have been part of a larger ecclesiastical settlement, said Mr Conway, who is directing the excavation.
Based on the dates of the artefacts recovered from the site, the skeletons are thought to date from the early Christian period in the 6th century to the 12th or 13th century. These ranges may change when the remains are analysed off-site, said Mr Conway.
This excavation, carried out by a team of trained archaeologists under licence from Duchas, the Heritage Service, began in 1995 at the site of a proposed Esso service station on the northbound side of the N11, south of Cabinteely.
Although there have been several archaeological finds in the area dating back to the 1930s, this is the first formal excavation. Esso commissioned preliminary site surveys and, to fulfil the planning condition for the site's development, an archaeological consultancy firm, Margaret Gowen & Company Ltd, was employed.
Esso gives "full backing" to the excavation, said Ms Niamh Wood, public affairs manager with Esso Ireland. It is totally funding the work which may cost more than £300,000 including the off-site analysis and preparation of a report, she said. An information leaflet on the site is also being prepared.
After excavation, the materials and artefacts recovered will "be handed over to the National Museum of Ireland to form part of the national archive", said Ms Wood.
Esso will proceed with its service station only if it is "satisfied that the whole thing has been completely excavated" and there is nothing of archaeological interest left, said Ms Wood.
Esso's decision will be made in consultation with the archaeological consultants, Duchas, the Heritage Service and the planning authorities, she said.
Mr Conway said there was nothing to preserve on site. There are "no visible monuments, other than the burial sites" themselves that can be shown to the public, he said.
It was probably a "community graveyard for south Dublin" since the sixth or seventh century, said Mr Conway. To date 939 skeletons have been found, but the final number is expected to exceed 1,000, he said. The cemetery probably started out as a small graveyard and got bigger and bigger as time passed.
Mr Conway said the people in the graveyard probably died of natural causes and links with two battles that occurred in the area - Dean's Grange and Carrickmines - have been ruled out. Some clusters of graves were found, but they could have been "victims of a family tragedy - that's why they're buried together", he said.
Mr Conway said the area was probably chosen as a cemetery because the soil is soft and can be easily dug. Several artefacts have been found and catalogued, including a bowl furnace, knives, broaches, bone combs, and ceramic items. Other items include burial shroud pins and parts of a bronze cross. The discoveries may provide important insights into the early Christian population of south Dublin in terms of age, sex, diet and disease, said Mr Conway.