Ring-ditch

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on the S-facing crest of a broad low hill and on the plateau to its N. An enclosure complex consisting of a rectangular enclosure with an internal square feature and attached external ditches (ME038-070----), was identified just to the W of the route of the M3 motorway in a gradiometer survey (00R0064) by GBS Prospection (2001, 10), but the survey was limited to the area W of an existing NNE-SSW field boundary. The road just clipped the E edge of the rectangular enclosure which is preserved on the W side of the motorway. Archaeological centre-line testing (04E0416) by J. Dempsey (2004, 11-23) of the area to the E at Testing Area 2, Contract 2, prior to the construction of the motorway (excavations.ie: 2004:1242) was able to clarify the full archaeological potential of the area within the road-take. This area was completely excavated (E003061) by S. Rathbone as Garretstown 2 from March to December 2006 (excavations.ie 2006:1567; 2007:1317) when an area of 19,000 square metres was opened. Seven ring-ditches and seven kilns were completely excavated together with portions of the rectangular enclosure (ME038-070----) to the W and a rath (ME038-072----) to the E. Three broad periods are represented by the Middle Bronze Age ring-ditches from which no burial evidence was recovered, followed by the late Iron Age rectangular enclosure and by the use of the rath and kilns in the early medieval period.

Situated at the S-facing crest of a broad low hill. This (44) is an almost perfectly circular area (int. diam. 13m; ext. diam. 18.4m) defined by a complete fosse (Wth of top 2.6m; max. D 1.3m). The five layers in the ditch contained large quantities of broken shale but negligible amounts of bone or charcoal, although a C14 date of 1653-1393 cal. BC has been derived trough OSL dating. It cannot be shown to have had a central mound or an outer bank, and the only artefacts recovered were a flint flake and a fragment of a possible stone axe. One pit in the interior was cut by later E-W ditches and only a small portion with a thin layer of burnt material including unidentified cremated bone on its base and sides survived. A pit (diam. 0.75m; D 0.45m) just to the SE and another pit (diam. 0.95m; D 0.45m) immediately to the NNE are probably related to it but produced no material. (Rathbone 2009, 3-5)

See the attached plans adapted from Rathbone (2009, figs 8, 10, 14)
ME038-071_1 Remotely sensed and excavated features;
ME038-071_2 Central excavated area;
ME038-071001- Ring-ditch

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 21 April 2022

References

Dempsey, J. 2004 M3 Clonee – North of Kells, Contract 2 Dunshaughlin - Navan, Report on the Archaeological Assessment of Testing Area 2, Garretstown, Co. Meath. Licence: 04E0416. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services

Rathbone, S. 2009 M3 Clonee - North of Kells, Contract 2 Dunshaughlin - Navan. Final Report on the Archaeological Excavation of Garretstown 2, Co. Meath. Licence: E003061. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services

GBS Prospection 2001 N3 Navan to Dunshaughlin Road, County Meath: Geophysical Survey. Licence: 00R0064. Unpublished report, No. 2000/104. GBS Prospection