2004:1849 - BALLYNABARNEY, Wicklow

The metal detection proved successful, recording twenty hits, although two of these were visible under the water and were recognisably modern objects. Investigation of the buried objects was not possible, as it required a separate licence. Of the remaining eighteen hits, one registered as a large hit.

Of the four cores taken, only one was truly successful in terms of its usefulness. Cores 1 and 2 extracted only 0.16m of material. The material in Core 1 was loose and viscous and of little use for profile analysis. Core 2 contained 0.16m of compact grey clay, possibly of the kind extracted for brick manufacturing. Core 3 also contained 0.16m of clay, with 0.1m of sand beneath. Core 4 produced 0.62m of material with (starting at the top) 0.08m of plant remains, 0.08m of light-greyish-brown marl, 0.02m of marl and plant remains, 0.05m of light-greyish-brown marl, 0.02m of light-grey marl, 0.09m of light-greyishbrown marl, 0.03m of light-reddish-brown sand, 0.11m of light-greyish-brown marl with sand inclusions and 0.13m of light-greyish-brown sand with marl inclusions. There was no charcoal visible throughout the profile or any other indications of an archaeological horizon.

Editor’s note: Though carried out in 2002, this summary was received too late for inclusion in the bulletin of that year.