2004:1179 - BALTRASNA, Meath

This excavation was undertaken as part of the archaeological mitigation in advance of the N2 Finglas-Ashbourne road scheme (Appendix II). Pre-development testing was carried out under this licence by Stuart Halliday in 2003 (Excavations 2003, No. 1361). This identified two small fulachta fiadh, Site 15 (previously designated Testing Area 15), within the route of the development. The licence was transferred to Cara Murray in February 2004. Excavation commenced in March for a period of four weeks.

This section of the development is located south of the R125 Ratoath-Swords road and the N2 junction, in a field that was in agricultural production prior to the development works. The landscape in which Site 15 (max. OD 57.7-90m) is located is gently undulating, associated with the tributaries of the Broadmeadow River. In a lower-lying area immediately to the north-west of the sites, the remains of a palaeo-channel or stream were identified in a geophysical survey. To the south-west of the sites, partially located within the road footprint, was a small prominent hillock that has been heavily quarried in recent times. A number of natural springs were uncovered in the vicinity of the sites. Two trenches were cut through the palaeochannel to determine the interrelationship with the sites and examine the palaeoenvironmental potentialof the associated deposits. No direct association was evident and the deposits were not suitable for palaeoenvironmental analysis. Excavation revealed the full extent of two small fulachta fiadh, each with a single trough. These were located in Area A, near the north-eastern edge of the footprint, and in Area B, 43.5m to the south-west.

Within the extent of Area A, 16.85m (north-south) by 14.1m, the trough was situated just above the break of slope between a short sloping terrace, at the foot of the small hillock to the south, with a steeper incline down to the location of the palaeo-channel. A small spring was located 6m upslope to the south-west of the site. The trough, 1.8m (north-west/south-east) by 1.35m and 0.45m deep, was a subcircular cut with a U-shaped profile. Upcast from the trough construction is likely to have formed the redeposited natural to the east and trample of the old sod layer seems to have occurred while the trough was being constructed or in initial use all around the trough. There was no evidence of a wooden lining in this trough and the basal fill consisted of a shallow 0.05m-deep deposit of sandy grey clay with decayed stone, overlain by a 0.43mdeep deposit of black, coarse-grained silt. This latter material contained heat-affected, shattered stones, frequent charcoal, occasional cobbles and a piece of scorched wood. The depth of this deposit suggests that some of this material may have been raked into the trough at the end of its use, as it was very similar in form to the overlying general mound material. As the site went out of use a deposit of dark-brown clayey silt formed above the trough. There was no apparent variation in the composition of the mound. The overall form of the mound, which measured 8.15m by 6.3m and 0.25m in maximum depth, was an irregular circle of black, fine-grained silt with frequent burnt stone and charcoal inclusions. Likely to be broadly contemporary with the trough was a small pit or pot-boiler located 2.1m to the south, which was a slightly irregular sub-oval pit measuring 0.45m by 0.66m and 0.34m deep. It was filled by grey/black silty clay with small stones and charcoal, similar to material deposited in the trough.

Similarly in Area B, 11.5m (north-south) by 12.5m, the trough was 1.19m (east-west) by 1.2m and 0.3m deep. It was situated in a fairly level area at the base of the small hillock with a freshwater spring 10m to the south-east. The trough consisted of a subcircular cut with a U-shaped profile. An informal hearth of oxidised clay was situated 1.15m to the north-east of the trough and largely respected by the burnt-mound deposits. The basal fill of the trough consisted of mottled black silty sand, burnt stones and charcoal. Above this were fragments of wooden plank, possibly the remains of partial trough lining or timbers associated with the final use or decommissioning of the trough. Material discarded from the trough created a small horseshoe-shaped burnt mound, 4.5m by 6.1m by 0.13m deep, around the western and eastern side of the trough. It was compiled of a series of small deposits that are likely to represent individual deposits of trough clearance material. When the site then went out of use, a 0.08m-deep natural clay sealed and formed the upper fill of the trough. No artefacts were recovered from either of these sites.