Multi-period site, Ballynakelly/Rathcreedan, Newcastle, Co. Dublin

Introduction
An excavation was carried out in Ballynakelly, Newcastle, Co. Dublin during summer 2007 in advance of a hotel development.  The excavation was funded by Lamberton Properties Ltd.

The development spanned a wide topographic range, from a ridge top that affords extensive views of the Liffey plain and the Dublin mountains and carries the boundary between Ballynakelly and Rathcreedon townlands, down its gentle north-facing slopes to a broad flat plain at their foot.  Archaeological features were seen to extend across this range, with seven noticeable concentrations (Areas A-F and the Medieval features to the west) and a scattering of features in between. 

Prehistoric Activity
Prehistoric ritual activity was identified throughout the development, with the main concentration on the higher ground in the south-east.  The prehistoric activity on the site was generally focused on burial or funerary activity (Areas A & D).  A fine 7m-wide ring ditch, an urn burial, three pits containing cremation burials and several other possible cremation pits were recorded.  Two of the cremation burials were located on the lower ground in the west of the development, while the remainder were located on the higher ground of the ridge along a rough north-south axis extending north from the ring ditch, showing a clear preference for burial in elevated areas. Panoramic views were afforded from the crest of the ridge, to the east, north and west and it is likely that both Neolithic and Bronze Age burial monuments in the Dublin Mountains were visible from the site, perhaps emphasising the importance of the location.