2001:1333 - BALLYNABARNY, Wicklow

As part of the mitigation strategy developed for the sites identified during the environmental impact assessment for the proposed new N11 road scheme in County Wicklow, certain sections of the route were re-walked as part of a reassessment survey. A number of new sites were discovered, the locations of which were on the projected road line and therefore under threat from the development. Many of these sites were only tentatively identified from the field observations and it was proposed that a series of follow-up test excavations should take place to ascertain the nature, date and extent of any archaeology associated with these sites.

The site at Ballynabarny was one of these, noted in the walk-over reassessment survey as an area of ground with the potential for producing sites of archaeological interest. It was at the northern end of the townland, on the western side of the present N11 road. Although in an area of local low ground, there were good views to the north and east. Before testing, the ground consisted of recently harvested wheatfields, through which the line of a deep, water-filled ditch ran from east to west. It was clear from the uneven nature of the surface of the field on the north side that the ditch represented the straightened remains of a stream which would originally have meandered through the area. A number of these small hillocks were identified as the possible remains of plough-truncated fulachta fiadh.

Testing took the form of a series of machine-excavated test-trenches, laid out in a regular pattern across the area of the fields which bordered the straightened streambed. Each of the trenches was some 1.5m wide and was excavated to the top of undisturbed natural, or archaeological deposits, whichever was uncovered first. The testing started at the northern end of the northern field, with the trench aligned parallel to the adjacent field boundary. Each successive test-trench was located some 10m to the south of its neighbour and the trenching continued into the southern field for some 75m.

Testing of the northern field produced nothing of archaeological significance. Ploughsoil, which was on average some 0.4m in depth, came down directly onto undisturbed natural. This layer varied across the field from a light grey slit clay to a mottled orange brown slit clay. This degree of variation appeared to correspond with the projected old course of the stream on this side, with the mottled subsoil concentrated on the lower ground levels.

Two areas of archaeological interest were uncovered on the south side of the ditch. The first was immediately to the south of the drain and appeared to have been cut by it. The feature consisted of a low mound of blackened soil and heat-cracked stone, classic fulacht fiadh material. Owing to the truncation of its north side, the mound was D-shaped in plan, measuring some 12m east–west by 8m. It stood at best some 0.75m above the surrounding natural, which close to the site consisted of a grey silt clay. There was no evidence of a trough or even of an indentation suggesting the underlying location of such a feature. A detailed examination of the area around the fulacht fiadh spread did not reveal any associated archaeological features.

The second area of interest was some 50m to the south of the first, on a local ridge of relatively flat ground. Prior to testing there was slight evidence in the topsoil of the possibility of archaeology in the vicinity. This took the form of patches of dark brown or blackened soil interspersed with small pieces of heat-cracked stone. Removal of the ploughsoil overburden revealed a second fulacht fiadh-type spread. This example was not as well preserved as the first. It consisted of an area roughly circular in plan, approximately 15m in diameter, although clearly it had been much spread as a result of years of agricultural practice. There was no evidence of any other associated archaeological features apart from the actual spread, which appeared to be at best less than 0.1m deep.

The remainder of the trenches on the south side of the drainage ditch did not produce any evidence of significant archaeology.

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