Enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

Located at the edge of a ridge in a low-lying area with a canalised SSW-NNE stream c. 25m to the W and lower ground to the S. Archaeological centre-line testing (04E1052) by G. McLoughlin (2005) at Testing Area 1 of Contract 5 of the M3 motorway (excavations.ie 2004:1194) identified archaeological features that were partially investigated (E003164) within the road-take by S. Reilly in interrupted sessions between September 2006 and April 2009 as Calliaghstown 1 (Reilly et al. 2008) when a large enclosure was recorded at the W end while a ring-ditch and a rectangular enclosure were revealed at the E end of the excavation.

In Area A, E of a SSW-NNE field bank and stream, a subrectangular, slightly raised area (int. dims c. 28-40m NW-SE; c. 26-30m NE-SW) is attached to the S of the small circular enclosure (ME016-081002-). It is defined by straight fosses or ditches (Wth 2-2.2m; D 0.42-0.7m) which may have had an entrance (Wth 2m) in the NE side, in the angle created with the ditch of the small enclosure, which is a later feature. Three phases of infilling of the fosses can be identified. A charred cherry seed from the bottom of the NE fosse produced a C14 date of 985-1156 cal. AD (Beta 247129). The narrowed fosse at NE that is W of the entrance was cut by the fosse of the circular enclosure (ME016-081002-). There were several pits in the interior but they cannot be connected through stratigraphy to the defining ditches and many appear to be earlier. One pit (dims 1.8m x 0.95m; D 0.22m) had four layers, and a light greenish blue segmented faience bead that could date from the Early Bronze Age was in its primary fill. A sample of oak charcoal from a post-hole in the interior provided a C14 date of 130-379 cal. AD (Beta 247128). A piece of a lignite bracelet and a copper alloy stick-pin were from a secondary fill of the NE fosse, but few other notable artefacts were recovered. (Reilly et al. 2008, 2-5)

See the attached plans from Reilly et al. (2008, figs 7, 8, 9)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 4 March, 2022

References

McLoughlin, G. 2005 M3 Clonee-North of Kells; Contract 5, Kells to North of Kells. Report on Archaeological Assessment at Testing Area 1 in Calliaghstown, County Meath. Licence: 04E1052. Unpublished report, Irish Archaeological Consultancy

Reilly, S., Kinsella, J. and V. Ginn 2008 M3 Clonee – North of Kells, Contract 5, Kells to North of Kells. Final Report on the Archaeological Excavation of Calliaghstown 1, Co. Meath. Licence: E003164. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services