County: Kildare Site name: KILRATHMURRAY
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E0099
Author: Linda Clarke, ACS Ltd.
Site type: House - 18th/19th century
Period/Dating: Modern (AD 1750-AD 2000)
ITM: E 666343m, N 743431m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.436798, -7.001522
An assessment of this site, near a cemetery (Site 32) and linear cropmarks (Site AE8), was carried out before the construction of the M4 Kinnegad–Enfield–Kilcock Motorway Scheme, Contract 2, on behalf of Westmeath County Council. The cemetery represents a burial-ground for the Wexford casualties from the Battle of Clonard in 1798. It is considered a historical site and is indicated on the 1909 OS 6-inch map as ‘Croppies Grave’. It is not an SMR site and is c. 50m from the road-take. The cropmarks appear as a series of linear features in a rectangular pattern and may represent drains.
Nineteen trenches were excavated within the road-take adjacent to Site 32. The only feature of significance exposed was a rubble stone wall in Trenches 1 and 5. This may be the remains of a building depicted on the 1837 OS map.
An additional twelve trenches were excavated in the area of the road-take adjacent to Site AE8. No features of archaeological significance were noted. Part of this area was not tested, as requested by the landowner, owing to the presence of field drains. These may be the linear features identified on this site via aerial photography. This untested area is marked on the 1837 OS map as the ‘Bulls Ring’.
The construction of the road will have a direct impact on the exposed wall. This feature was archaeologically resolved as Kilrathmurray 1 (No. 944, Excavations 2002, 02E1085).
Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth
