Ring-ditch

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a rise in a fairly level landscape, with the WNW-ESE Castle River c. 100m to the N. Further work in monitoring (04E1040) a sewer pipe extending E from the medieval ring-work castle (ME050-021007-) identified a ring-ditch in the N part of its interior. It was c. 4m from the N edge of the medieval enclosure fosse and may have been preserved by being under its bank. It is a circular area (int. diam. c. 6m) defined by a fosse (Wth 1.05m; max. D 0.96m) that had been removed by medieval activity at N, and it was fully excavated (excavations.ie 2005: 1175). The fosse was filled with fairly sterile orange to grey and brown clays and silts. The remains of a compacted cordoned urn was in the ditch at E and sherds of pottery were found in other parts of the ditch, but there was no evidence of any internal features. (Cotter 2008, 289-90)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload; 29 October 2021

References

Cotter, C. 2008 1175. Dunboyne Castle, Castlefarm, Dunboyne. Bronze Age ringditch; possible early medieval activity and medieval enclosure. in I. Bennett (ed.) Excavations 2005: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 289-91, Dublin, Wordwell