Enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

A circular enclosure (diam. c. 60m) indicated on the 1st edition OS 6-inch map and partially excavated in 2006 in advance of the N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford road improvement scheme (Excavation licence no. E2513). The line of the enclosure was partly preserved in the existing field boundaries. On inspection in 1990 only one quarter of the circuit of the bank was visible. The SW segment (L 77m; av. Wth 3m) of the enclosure ditch was excavated, the remaining portion (visible on the geophysical survey) remaining outside the limits of the excavation. The excavated portion was cut 1.2m deep into a mixed stone, sand and silty clay. A 23m length was cut into limestone bedrock. The lower fill was of a coarse yellow sand with grey brown silty clay. A hazel charcoal sample from this fill returned a radiocarbon date of cal AD 1050-1217 (UBA-14004). The upper fill was deemed likely to derive from the destruction of the earthwork as depicted on the Ordnance Survey map. Internal features included a house (KK035-048003-) and miscellaneous pits of an earlier date (KK035-048004-). Further pits (KK035-048002-) were excavated c. 40m to the S. (Channing 2009, 268, no. 1047; Channing and O’Neill 2010)

Compiled by: Mary Tunney

Date of upload: 15 October 2013

References

Channing, J. and O'Neill, G. 2010 N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford Scheme: Waterford to Knocktopher – Phase 2. Archaeological Resolution. Dunkitt to Sheepstown townlands, Co. Kilkenny. Final report. Ministerial Direction: A032/000 Registration No.: E2513 Sites 40, Knockmoylan Townland,Co Kilkenny. Unpublished excavation report submitted to the National Monuments Service, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dublin.

Channing, J. 2009 AR040, Kilkeasy. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2006: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 268, no. 1047. Bray. Wordwell.