Well

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on the S-facing slope of a slight rise in the flood-plain of the NW-SE Tolka River which is c. 220m to the N. Archaeological monitoring (08E0605) by C. McCarthy of topsoil stripping over an extensive area (max. dims c. 450m N-S; c. 350m E-W) identified five areas with archaeological deposits and features (McCarthy and Mitchell 2008; excavations.ie 2008:943). One was post-medieval, another (ME051-043----) is to be preserved in situ, and the other three were fully resolved (08E0840) by the same archaeologist (excavations.ie 2008:944).

In Area 2 a large pit or water-hole (dims 6.6m E-W; 6.2m N-S; max. D 1.65m) has a rounded base (Wth c. 0.5m) that was partly cut into the shale bedrock. The sides were steep, and the bottom was covered by a grey silty clay, the lowest of eight layers, that was impossible to excavate completely. However, a fragment from the wall of a wooden vessel (H 0.23m plus) with two lugs and an internal groove for the base was recovered from the black peaty clay above the basal layer. This alder bucket provided a C14 determination of 349-43 cal. BC. In all 49 pieces of wood were preserved in this layer, all the worked wood being alder. The upper fills of silty clays, with evidence of slumping of the sides of the pit, yielded no artefacts but there were some animal bones.

About 10m N of the water-hole was a similar structure (dims 2m x 1.3m) with three corner postholes, one of which produced a sherd of pottery. Although there is no evidence of a fourth post-hole, it probably formed a shelter or platform like a more certain structure (dims 2.5m x 2.4m) with four corner post-holes that was just 2m N of the waterhole. A line of stake-holes, curving in a slight arc, ran through the interior of this structure. A hearth, evident as a fire-reddened patch of subsoil (dims 0.8m x 0.7m) within a small circular structure (diam. 2.7m) defined by seven post-holes was c. 4m NE of the waterhole but it is not known whether it related to the use of the waterhole or the fulacht fia (ME051-042001-) in the same area. (McCarthy et al. 2009, 31-39, 43-4)

See the attached plan from McCarthy et al. 2009, fig. 14

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 9 November 2021

References

McCarthy, C. and Mitchell, N. 2008 Archaeological Monitoring Report. Flood Amelioration Project, Clonee, Co. Meath. Licence: 08E0605. Unpublished report, Arch-Tech

McCarthy, C., Mitchell, N. and D. Maguire 2009 Flood Amelioration Project, Clonee, Co. Meath. Licence: 08E0840. Final Excavation Report. Unpublished report, Vol 1 of 2 vols Arch-Tech