Structure

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on a slight SW-facing slope. Archaeological testing (04E0916) by S. Delaney (2005) at Testing Area 11 of Contract 4 of the M3 motorway identified (excavations.ie 2004:1271) archaeological material that was fully excavated (E003149) in December 2006 and January 2007 by C. Gleeson (2010) as Town Parks 3 when an area of 1800 square metres was opened and a prehistoric structure was recorded in an area dominated by post-medieval features (excavations.ie 2007:1396).

This is a rectangular feature (max. dims c. 8m NE-SW; c. 2.4m NW-SE) consisting of two parallel rows of postholes with four on the NW side and three on the SE, although the SE line is missing a post at the SW end and one posthole has two smaller adjacent features. Two postholes, c. 5m to the SE and c. 10m to the E may be related as sherds of Middle Bronze Age coarse pottery were retrieved from three of the postholes and one of the outliers. A fragment of holly charcoal from one of the postholes of the structure returned a C14 date of 1019-906 cal. BC (UBA 12115), placing it in the Late Bronze Age. The area was used for numerous pits (dims 0.44m x 0.4m; D 0.12m to 1.1m x 0.75m; D 0.4m), the largest of which had a fire-reddened base. The only artefact recovered from the pits was burnt fragments of an eighth or ninth century AD medieval antler comb and it is presumed that the pits are of a similar date. Most of the activity was post-medieval in date and included a well just 6m to the N and the foundations for masonry structures at the roadside further NW. (Gleeson 2010, 5-6)

See the attached plan from Gleeson (2010, fig. 9)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 11 March 2022

References

Gleeson, C. 2010 M3 Clonee – North of Kells, Contract 4, Navan to Kells and Kells Bypass. Final Report on Town Parks 3, Co. Meath. Licence: E003149. Unpublished report, Irish Archaeological Consultancy

Delaney, S. 2005 M3 Clonee-North of Kells; Contract 4, Navan - Kells and Kells Bypass. Report on Archaeological Assessment at Testing Area 11 in Gardenrath, Grangegoddan Glebe and Kilmainham, County Meath. Licence: 04E0916. Unpublished report, Irish Archaeological Consultancy