Excavation - miscellaneous

The National Monuments Service's description

In pasture 250m E of the townland boundary with Rathcannon and 75m N of a stream. Not depicted on OSi historic mapping. Identified as 'Twelve features (pits, stakeholes etc)' (BGE 3/76/4) during topsoil-stripping on the Bord Gáis Éireann Pipeline to the West (Grogan et. al. 2007). Excavated in 2002 by Kate Taylor under license No. 02E0502 the results of which were summarised as follows; ‘It consisted of one area of activity with a single outlying pit, c. 40m away. Although no archaeological deposits had been identified in the intermediate zone during monitoring, it was not possible to examine this area in more detail at the time of excavation as it had been badly damaged by machine activity and was buried below several heaps of rock. The only feature to contain stratified prehistoric material was the outlying pit, which produced a sherd of pottery, probably Bronze Age but yet to be examined in detail. This pit was subcircular with a bowl-shaped profile. It measured 0.6m north-west/south-east by 0.55m and was 0.15m deep, with two fairly sterile fills. Also of prehistoric date were surface finds of two small chert scrapers and a broken flint scraper from the main excavation area. In addition, it is considered likely that some, if not all, of the undated features are prehistoric in date and possibly contemporary with this feature. Twelve features (three small, scoop-like pits containing stake-holes, a post-hole, four isolated stake-holes and one small spread) remain undated. In general the deposits were grey or dark grey, with a different appearance from the fills of the late post-medieval features. Although these features are not datable by reference to artefactual material or stratigraphy, it seems likely that they represent prehistoric rather than late post-medieval activity.
The prehistoric activity may be interpreted as either ritual or domestic. Considered in isolation, the pit that contained the pottery could be interpreted as a funerary or ritual deposit. Although no cremation material was present in the fill of the pit, the single sherd of pottery could be interpreted as a symbolic burial. The alternative explanation includes the undated features and attributes a domestic character to this activity, perhaps including part of a light structure.
Two features were definitely late post-medieval/ modern: a stone-filled drain and a ditch, which may itself have been a drainage feature. The ditch was aligned north-east/south-west and was 9m long within the limits of the excavated area. A large number of artefacts were recovered from the fill: ten sherds of late post-medieval/modern pottery, a broken metal button and an ornamental copper-alloy disc. The features fit into the current agricultural landscape; the ditch and drain are on the same alignment as surrounding field boundaries. The large amount of domestic pottery and other items suggests nearby habitation; however, no houses lie near the site. Research incorporating an examination of earlier maps may identify nearby buildings that were demolished during the 20th century' (Taylor 2004, 295-6). Monument has been fully excavated and is not visible on aerial images.

See attached location map.

Compiled by: Martin Fitzpatrick

Date of upload: 17 May 2021

References

Taylor, K. 2004 Ballincurra (BGE 3/76/4-5); Prehistoric and post-medieval. In I. Bennett (ed.) Excavations 2002: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland, 295-6, No. 1077. Wordwell, Bray.

Grogan, E., O'Donnell, L. and Johnston, P. 2007 The Bronze Age landscapes of the pipeline to the West. Bray. Wordwell.