County: Wicklow Site name: BALLYBEG
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 01E0976
Author: Niall Gregory, ADS Ltd.
Site type: Burnt spread
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 727975m, N 694996m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.990401, -6.093811
A test excavation was carried out between 16 and 18 October 2001 within the townland of Ballybeg, Co. Wicklow, as part of advance archaeological works for the N11 Newtownmountkennedy to Ballynabarny dual carriageway scheme.
The greater part of the site was on the northern terrace of a small river valley, which ran from west to east. The southern area of the site consisted of a small boggy floodplain. The terrace was separated from the floodplain by a short steep fall to the south. The site consisted of open pasture. Fourteen test-trenches were excavated in two fields up to a depth of 0.4m, consistent with the surface of the natural subsoil. All were dug with the use of a 2m-wide grading bucket.
Eight areas of archaeological potential were uncovered. All of them consisted of charcoal-rich soil and fire-reddened clay between 0.1m in diameter and 1.1m by 0.9m in size. Nothing of an artefactual nature was recovered.
Windsor House, 11 Fairview Strand, Dublin 3
