Ring-ditch

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a slight E-W ridge in a fairly level landscape. The cropmark of a small circular feature (int. diam. c. 10m) defined by a single faint fosse feature is visible on an aerial image (OSAP: 1995). The ring-ditch (ME049A003001-) is c. 23m to the W along the rise, and the features were first noted by Tom Condit in 2017. Archaeological testing (19E0547) by L. Coen (2019, 12-13) confirmed this feature (excavations.ie 2019:243) as a circular platform (int. diam. c. 10.5m; ext. diam. 12.3m) defined by a fosse (Wth of top 0.85-1.15m; D 0.3m) filled with a brown sandy clay. Later, it was completely excavated (19E0686) by the same archaeologist (excavations.ie 2020:305) when it was recorded as a circular area defined by a penannular fosse (Wth 0.66-1.66m; D 0.17-0.65m) that was shallowest at N where it was slightly truncated by a modern WNW-ESE ditch. There were no internal features but the defining fosse has a small gap (Wth 0.58m) at E. One fleck of ash charcoal from the topmost of four fills in the fosse yielded a C14 date of 2030-1820 cal. BC (UBA: 43430), placing it in the Early Bronze Age and c. 400 years earlier than its companion. No bone was recovered, nor were any artefacts recorded. (Coen 2020, 5)

See the attached enhanced view (_1) from OSAP (1995) and the finished excavation (_2) on right

Date of upload: 9 January, 2017
Amended: 27 August 2019, 28 May 2021

References

Coen, L. 2020 Archaeological excavation of two ring-ditches, Newtownmoyaghy, Kilcock, Co. Meath. Licence: 19E0686. Final unpublished report, Archer Heritage Planning

Coen, L. 2019 Newtownmoyaghy, Kilcock, Co. Meath. Archaeological Impact Assessment. Licence: 19E0547. Unpublished report, Archer Heritage Planning

OSAP - Ordnance Survey Aerial Photographs. Photographic collection. Ordnance Survey of Ireland. Dublin.