Structure

The National Monuments Service's description

Archaeological testing (E4128) during 2010 on an extensive area (dims c. 560m ENE-WSW; c. 150m NW-SE at NE to c. 290m NNW-SSE at SW) N of the M11 motorway at Ballyellin produced no archaeological material, but testing under the same licence on a D-shaped area (dims c. 220m NE-SW; c. 180m NW-SE) S of the motorway identified a rectangular structure as well as some prehistoric features (WX003-050----) that are c. 95m further S. The structure, known as Ballyellin 1, was completely excavated (E4146) in August 2010. The fulacht fia (WX003-048----) that was excavated in 2005 is c. 40m to the NW.
The rectangular structure (int. dims 7.4m NW-SE; 6.1m NE-SW) was defined by a slot-trench (Wth 0.2-0.5m; D 0.15-0.38m) on all sides except the NW where it may have been truncated by a NE-SW field drain or it may have been open and the trenches were drains. Charcoal from the slot-trench/drain produced a C14 date of cal. AD 890-1030. There were some small pits within and outside the structure to the NE, some of which contained metal slag from smithing, but one pit (dims 0.9m x 0.6m; D 0.48m) produced a C14 date of 1730-1520 cal. BC and was anomalous to the rest of the structure. The source of the smithing was outside the structure and not recovered. About 3m S of the structure was an E-W gully that might be a natural channel. (McLoughlin and Lynch 2010, 6-7; McLoughlin 2011, 6-13; McLoughlin 2013)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 6 February, 2013

References

McLoughlin, G. 2013 Ballyellin 1. Medieval structure. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2010: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 222, No. 701. Dublin. Wordwell.

McLoughlin, G. 2011 N11 Gorey North Service Area Scheme E4146. Final excavation report. Unpublished. Irish Archaeological Consultancy

McLoughlin, G. and Lynch, R. 2010 N11 Gorey North Service Area Scheme. E4128. Unpublished report. Irish Archaeological Consultancy