2003:976 - RATHANGAN/MONASTEREVIN/DYSART/HYBLA, Kildare

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Kildare Site name: RATHANGAN/MONASTEREVIN/DYSART/HYBLA

Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 03E0208

Author: Claire Cotter, for Cultural Resource Development Services Ltd.

Site type: No archaeology found

Period/Dating: N/A

ITM: E 667145m, N 719428m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.221018, -6.994542

The Kildare Wellfield Development spans the townlands of Rathangan, Dysart, Hybla, Rehills, Monasterevin, Oldgrange and Carbury Hill and will ultimately consist of the following components.

At Rathangan: a pipeline will run between Redhills and Oldgrange for approximately 11km. This will involve the excavation by machine of a trench along the route. Water treatment works at Rathangan (Tullylost) will involve ground disturbance over a considerable area. A proposed reservoir at Redhills will also involve ground disturbance over a considerable area.

At Carbury Hill–Dysart: a pipeline will run between the water wells and the proposed treatment works and, connecting with the reservoir at Carbury Hill, will involve the excavation by machine of a trench along the route. A proposed reservoir at Carbury will also involve ground disturbance over a considerable area. Water treatment works at Dysart will involve ground disturbance over a considerable area.

At Monasterevin: an abstraction scheme will involve the development of well sites – three wells for production at Hybla Wood (Monasterevin/Rathangan Road) and a single well for production at Hybla South, off the N7. Both sites are owned by Coillte. Also involved will be the emplacement of pipelines from the wells to a central location.

Advance investigative works relating to the scheme included geophysical prospecting and a paper survey of archaeological, historical and cartographic sources. This was followed up by monitoring at Dysart/Hybla and testing at Carbury Hill. Carbury Hill was dealt with under a separate licence (see No. 891, Excavations 2003, 03E0454). This report deals with the remaining components.

The current phase of investigation was concerned with the monitoring of engineers’ trial holes excavated along the route of the proposed pipelines and at the water treatment plant and reservoir sites. A total of 163 trial holes were mechanically excavated using a 0.5m-wide toothed bucket. The trial holes measured 2m in length by 0.5m in width by 3m in depth. No features of archaeological significance were noted in any of them. Most produced no finds, while seven produced post-medieval material.

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