Structure

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated in a slight fold in a gently undulating landscape, with rock outcrop close to the surface at the S edge of the hollow. Archaeological testing (04E0917) by J. Roynane (2005) at Testing Area 10 of Contract 4 of the M3 motorway identified (excavations.ie 2004:1270) archaeological material that was fully excavated (E003141) in November and December 2006 by E. Lyne (2011) as Kilmainham 1A when an L-shaped area of 7000 square metres was opened. The excavated area was just SW of the multi-period complex of Kilmainham 1C. Two Neolithic structures, a Bronze Age hut-site, a prehistoric boundary and a flat cemetery, were recorded as well as an early medieval cereal-drying kiln and a long ditch that extended into Kilmainham 1C (excavations.ie 2007:1334).
The two Neolithic structures are situated in a fairly small area (dims c. 35m N-S; c. 12m E-W). Structure 1 (dims 4.6m NE-SW; 2.2m NW-SE) is defined by four corner postholes, with a fifth on the line of the SE side. There is a hearth (dims 1.91m NW-SE; 1.57m NE-SW; D 0.23m) with a red/orange silty oxidized base and fills of sandy silt in the interior. It may have functioned purely as a cooking area, and was probably open on the NW side. The only artefacts recovered were some flint pressure flakes, and five sherds of a carinated bowl from the S posthole. (Lyne 2011, 7-8)

See the attached plans adapted from Lyne (2011, figs 7, 8)
ME017-085_1 Site plan;
ME0117-085002- Structure;

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 16 March 2022

References

Roynane, J. 2005 M3 Clonee-North of Kells; Contract 4, Navan - Kells and Kells Bypass. Report on Archaeological Assessment at Testing Area 10 in Kilmainham, County Meath. Licence: 04E0917. Unpublished report, Irish Archaeological Consultancy

Lyne, E. 2011 M3 Clonee – North of Kells, Contract 4, Navan to Kells and Kells Bypass. Final Report on Kilmainham 1A, Co. Meath. Licence: E003141. Unpublished report, Irish Archaeological Consultancy