County: Kildare Site name: BALLYNAKILL: Site 70
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 4:35 Licence number: 02E0149
Author: Dermot Nelis, IAC Ltd.
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 680876m, N 740148m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.405270, -6.783692
Testing was carried out as part of the Kinnegad–Enfield–Kilcock (Contract 3) Bypass. The overall scheme (Contracts 1–3) involves the excavation of c. 35km of motorway, commencing to the south-west of Kinnegad in County Westmeath and continuing eastward through counties Meath and Kildare, terminating at the western end of the existing M4 motorway at Kilcock. Contract 3 covers the route from Kilcock to the east of Enfield (c. 11km).
Site 70 was an enclosure 50m north of the area of land-take. It was defined by a circular feature of c. 30m in diameter with an earthen bank and external fosse. It is likely that a ringfort is represented. One centre-line and twelve offset trenches were excavated in the area of land-take closest to Site 70. Testing revealed topsoil sealing a relict ploughsoil over geologically deposited strata across the whole of the site. Topsoil was on average 0.4m deep, and subsoil, a friable, dark brown, silty clay, c. 0.5m deep. Geological natural was a mid-brown, compact clay.
Testing failed to reveal any remains of archaeological significance.
This project was funded by Westmeath County Council.
8 Dungar Terrace, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
