2004:1866 - INCHANAPPA SOUTH, Wicklow

Excavation of a number of archaeological features was undertaken at Inchanappa South, Co. Wicklow, between 26 February and 12 April 2002, as part of the N11 Ballynabarney–Newtownmountkennedy realignment scheme.

Area A appeared to be the only area of the excavation to contain significant archaeological deposits. The main feature was a large, bivallate subsoil-cut enclosure. The majority of features in Area A were contained within this enclosure. An apparent entranceway to the enclosure was located in the south-east. It was identified by two parallel rows of three posts running north-west/south-east and spaced an average of 2m apart. Two features were positively identified contained within the interior. One was heavily truncated from pre-excavation test-trenches. It was located in the north-western portion of the site and appeared to be the remains of a circular structure. The feature was identified by a series of ten pits/post-holes arranged in a roughly circular pattern, outside, which were faint traces of a possible slot-trench. Two large saddle querns were recovered from two post-holes also associated with the structure.

In the southern portion of the enclosure another anomalous feature was recorded. It consisted of a number of lines and arcs of post-holes. In total there were thirteen post-holes and two pits clustered in an area of 9m east-west by 10m. There was no obvious discernible pattern to this feature, but it was considered to be possibly structural. A number of other potentially archaeological features were located to the north and west of the enclosure, only one of which proved to be archaeological Area B was concentrated around the base of the hill and was between Areas A and C. It was dominated by a large post-medieval pit dump situated in the eastern corner. Contained within this dump were numerous post-medieval red bricks, roof slates and ceramics. A large boundary ditch that descended from Area C was cut by this. It continued on the other side, from where it curved eastward to intersect with an existing field boundary. To the west of this was located the only other definite archaeological feature of the area, a subrectangular pit. From this a large number of pottery sherds and flint debitage was recovered. There were a number of other features initially identified in this area aspossibly archaeological but upon excavation none yielded material that could confirm this.

Little of archaeological interest was uncovered in Area C. The largest and most significant find was a large boundary ditch. It continued from the top of the hill down the southern slope, through Area C and into Area B. Midway up the hill and 2m to the south of the field boundary was situated a hearth. The depositional sequence indicates that, after the initial period of use, there was an additional period of use. No archaeological material was recovered from this feature.

Editor’s note: Though carried out in 2002, this summary was received too late for inclusion in the bulletin of that year.