Enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

While the large enclosure, rath and burial ground are preserved under introduced soil in a green area all the available external area was excavated (15E0125) under the direction of S. McGlade in 2018-19 (excavations.ie 2019: 474). A small D-shaped enclosure (max. dims c. 34m N-S; c. 17m E-W) was attached to the large enclosure at E, and there were two kilns (1, 2) inside it. It was defined by a wide ditch (Wth 1.6m; D 0.88, at N to max. Wth 3.3m; D 1.56m) that was re-cut twice at the S end. Initial silting of the ditch was followed by darker material with animal bones and a lighter top fill also with animal bones. At N the ditch returned towards the large enclosure just S of an entrance associated with Path 2, and the final reiteration of the large enclosure ditch cut the ditch of the E annexe. The ditch of the E annexe also cut the ditch of the curvilinear S annexe. Its defining ditch was also cut by a re-cut of the outer ditch of the large enclosure. It had many fills with silts at the top and bottom but lenses of ash and burnt clay could be rake-out from Kiln 2 within the enclosure and bank material might also be present. A parallel, flat-bottomed slot-trench (max. Wth c. 1m; max. Dc. 0.7m) c. 5m inside the N-S section of the ditch may have supported a palisade on the inner side of such a bank. It had a parallel N-S path (4) just to the E which would have been under the putative bank. (McGlade 2020, vol. 1, 101-110)

See the attached images from McGlade (2020 vol. 1, p 208, 101)
_1 Location:
_2 plan;

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 3 May 2022

References

McGlade, S. 2020 Preliminary Excavation Report. Readsland, Dunshaughlin. Licences: 15E0125; 18R0174. Unpublished report, 2 vols archaeology plan