2001:1000 - KILSHARVAN 15, Kilsharvan, Meath

The site was exposed at chainage 19520, in the eastern portion of the motorway in the townland of Kilsharvan, during monitoring of topsoil-stripping carried out by Marcus Casey during groundworks associated with the construction of Contract 7 of the Northern Motorway Project. The site was identified as an area with four possible pits containing stone and charcoal.

One natural feature, one deposit and three pits were exposed. The natural feature consisted of an oval area of naturally discoloured soil caused by decayed stone within the orange sandy boulder clay. The deposit consisted of a subcircular area of mid-brown clay containing occasional charcoal flecks and lying directly upon the sandy boulder clay. The first pit was oval in plan and contained gradually sloping sides to a slightly concave base; it had been filled with a grey sandy clay containing frequent inclusions of small angular stones. The second pit was oval in plan and had gradually sloped sides to a flat base; it had been filled with a loose grey loam. The third pit was suboval in plan and had gradually sloping sides, becoming more vertical towards the south-east, extending to an irregular flat base; it had been filled with a grey loam containing moderate inclusions of small angular and round stones and occasional fragments of heat-shattered stone and charcoal. No further archaeological deposits or features were exposed and no finds were recovered.

The fills of two of the pits included stone and occasional inclusions of heat-shattered stone and charcoal. It is possible that the site is associated with the sites exposed at Kilsharvan 12 (No. 997, Excavations 2001, 01E0187) to the west and Kilsharvan 13 (No. 998, Excavations 2001, 01E0190) to the north-west. It is more likely, however, that the site represents outlying features of a potential site outside the motorway corridor to the north-east between the proposed motorway and the Crufty Road. The deposit F002 provided a radiocarbon date of 3780 ± 40 BP (2310–2120/2090–2050 cal. BC), in the early Bronze Age.