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 SW annexe is represented by two parallel arcs of ditches placed c. 15m apart, and the features within it probably do not relate to its use which may have been as an animal paddock adjacent to the SW entrance to the large enclosure. The inner arc (L c. 25m) extends from the fosse of the large enclosure at S and curves SW and NW but stops c. 13m S of the SW angle of the W annexe and thus funnels visitors towards a major likely entrance of the large enclosure. The arc of ditch (Wth 1.1-1.8m; D 0.43-0.8m) was in two sections and there was an entrance (Wth c. 5m) at the centre where it was cut by features relating to the S rectilinear annexe. The outer arc (L c. 30m plus) was shallow and partly rock-cut (Wth 0.75-1.2m; D 0.38-0.4m) and only survives in a fragmentary state. However, it truncated the earliest ditch of the S curvilinear annexe but was itself cut by the second phase of that annexe. The ditch of the third phase of the S curvilinear annexe did not intersect the outer ditch of the SW annexe but stopped short leaving an entrance gap (Wth 2.5m), which suggests that they may be contemporary. The outer arc is cut by the slot-trench of the possible barn, structure 21. (McGlade 2020, vol. 1, 237-242)

See the attached images from McGlade (2020 vol. 1, P 208, 257)
_1 Location:
_2 Plan of inner feature;

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 5 May 2022

References

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 Unpublished report, 2 vols archaeology plan