2004:1753 - MARLINSTOWN 1, Westmeath

Excavation of a site in Marlinstown townland, on the outskirts of Mullingar town, was undertaken in May and June 2004 in advance of the proposed N52 Mullingar bypass. The site was discovered by Rob O'Hara during testing of the road scheme (No. 1755 below, 04E0249). The site was located 130m southeast of a ringfort (SMR 19:82). Excavation revealed it to contain four phases of activity, covering the prehistoric through to the later medieval and post-medieval periods. Features found consisted of a burnt mound, a metalworking furnace pit, a limekiln and a laneway, all cutting into the scarp slope of a steep low drumlin overlooking a small bog.

Phase 1 consisted of a burnt mound or fulacht fiadh measuring 13.5m (north-south) by 7.5m and 0.2m in depth. The earliest features were two postholes and a large triangular unlined trough, which were probably contemporary. The trough measured 1.9m in length north-south by 1.38m in width and 0.7m in depth and contained a number of compact clay fills, pushed-in burnt-mound material, and was capped with a layer of redeposited natural sealing it completely. The mound spread out downslope of the trough and was predominantly fired-cracked sandstone. This phase was sealed by a layer of natural silty soil similar to the subsoil.

Phase 2 consisted of a stylistically early medieval metalworking furnace cut into the natural scarp of the hill, facing the prevailing wind to the south-west. The circular furnace measured 0.84m in diameter and 0.32m in depth and had an initial elongated flue, 0.7m in length, 0.3-0.5m in width, 0.27m in depth. The furnace saw a number of uses and later alterations saw the backfill of the flue and insertion of a blowhole. No slag was visible from the fire-reddened friable silt clay backfill. No magnetic particles were detected in situ; bulk samples were taken for sieving in post-excavation.

Phase 3 was a keyhole limekiln to the north of the furnace. This was provisionally dated to the late medieval period and consisted of a circular bowl pit, 0.7m in diameter and 0.3m in depth, with a tapering, stone-lined flue also cutting into the natural slope and facing south-west, measuring 1.34m in length, 0.57-0.5m in width and 0.33m in depth. The backfill was rich in lime and charcoal. A sherd of glazed medieval local ware was recovered from the upper fill and three sherds of diagnostic late medieval glazed ware were recovered close to the feature. Despite the insecure nature of the finds as dating evidence, it seems more likely that the phase dated to the post-Anglo-Norman period than any earlier.

Finally the site was cut by a post-medieval laneway built to access the Grand Canal (built 1806); this consisted of a cleared area delineated on either side by parallel ditches, 2.5m apart, backfilled with silty clay topsoil, and continued as limestone walls or field hedges beyond the excavation area. The laneway made no attempt to grade the incline of the natural slope or go around the hill, suggesting that the boggy area to the west was less appealing than the rise but also that the lane was not designed for heavy traffic.