County: Kildare Site name: MOYVALLEY (1)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E1088
Author: Robert O’Hara, ACS Ltd.
Site type: Hearth
Period/Dating: Iron Age (800 BC-AD 339)
ITM: E 671804m, N 742160m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.424665, -6.919641
Excavation was carried out on behalf of Westmeath County Council at Moyvalley 1, Co. Kildare, before the construction of the M4 Kinnegad–Enfield– Kilcock Motorway Scheme, Contract 2, from 25 August to 3 September 2002. Between 0.3m and 0.7m of topsoil was mechanically removed from the site, revealing very stony, yellow/grey clay subsoil, although in places the subsoil was far stonier. The land was very uneven, occasionally marshy and subject to localised flooding during heavy rain. A number of large drains were noted around the boundaries of the field, and narrower drains also crossed the excavated area. All of the features remained as cuts into subsoil or as areas of oxidised soil.
One hearth and four oxidised features, possibly hearths, were excavated at the site. The largest was an oval cut, measuring 1.5m east–west by 0.7m by 0.25m deep. Its sides were almost vertical, with a gradual break of slope at the base, leading to generally flat base, which sloped from east to west. Its sides and base were noticeably oxidised. The fill was moderately compact, mid-brown, clayey silt. It contained only occasional stone (around 10% of the deposit; mostly subangular pebbles) and occasional to moderate amounts of charcoal (mostly flecking but with a number of larger pieces). No finds or faunal remains were recovered, but the charcoal returned a radiocarbon date of cal. 360 BC to AD 70. The remaining features survived only as oxidised patches of clay, without charcoal or cultural material, and were 0.2–0.5m in diameter.
Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth
