2004:1269 - KILLEGLAND/BALLYBIN, Meath

Site 22 was excavated from 14 April to 9 June 2004 under an extension of the testing licence, at the request of Meath County Council, as part of a programme of archaeological mitigation in advance of the proposed N2 Finglas–Ashbourne realignment, Counties Dublin and Meath (Appendix II). The site was on a north-facing slope of a small hillock that undulates gently until it finally reaches the Broadmeadow River. The activity investigated extends from the top of this hillock down to the Ballybin Road (LS5018), where the gradient of the slope decreases somewhat, forming a shallow basin. The road corridor in this area passes within 15m of SMR 45:2, probably a ringfort but currently designated as a ring-ditch. The results of a previous geophysical survey suggested that the activity uncovered during this excavation might represent the outer extent of activity associated with this monument.

Excavations uncovered a discontinuous horizon of assorted activity that extended downslope for 200m from the area adjacent to the ringfort into the low-lying, wet land to the north. Many of the features revealed in this part of the site simply constituted wet hollows that occurred naturally throughout the area, several of which had been used as ready-made rubbish pits and produced varying amounts of animal bone. This in turn would have affected the limited reclamation of these wet areas. In this wetter northern area there was a well feature, which was dug down onto a seam of bedrock and the side of which had been deliberately stepped in order to allow easy assess to the water. A second well was excavated c. 50m to the south. This had been abandoned, possibly as the water level began to recede, and was used as a rubbish pit.

The most significant feature uncovered was a kiln that formed part of a larger industrial area. Only part of this fell within the proposed road-take. On initial inspection it appeared that the kiln contained three separate stokeholes and flue features, all of which fed into a central chamber and were in simultaneous use. However, upon excavation it became clear that these represented three successive episodes of industrial activity, although not much time passed between them. At present, it is impossible to ascertain exactly what was produced here; however, the kiln produced both pieces of copper and copper-alloy material as well as a particularly siliceous waste material that may be associated with glass production. In addition, c. 60% of a Late Iron Age/early medieval glass toggle was recovered from the upper fills of this kiln complex.

Immediately to the north of the kiln there were a number of other features, all of which had been subject to intensive and localised episodes of burning. These included a large lentoid pit and several smaller, shallower pits, which also produced several pieces of slag material. In addition, there was a shallow curvilinear ditch feature, only a very small proportion of which fell within the road-take.

27 Lindenwood Park, Foyle Springs, Derry