2005:775 - NAAS: Millennium Park, Western Link Road, Jigginstown, Kildare

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Kildare Site name: NAAS: Millennium Park, Western Link Road, Jigginstown

Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 05E0524

Author: Teresa Bolger, c/o Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd.

Site type: Fulacht fia

Period/Dating: Chalcolithic (2500 BC-2201 BC)

ITM: E 689532m, N 719745m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.220565, -6.659308

Monitoring of topsoil-stripping associated with the construction of the Millenium Park Western Link Road was carried out by Sinéad Phelan (see No. 774, Excavations 2005, 05E0442). The site of a fulacht fiadh or burnt mound was identified 300m north of the R445. This area was cordoned off and excavated between 16 and 26 May 2005.

The burnt mound was originally U-shaped. It had a single shallow trough, located within the arms of the U, with evidence for a wooden internal structure. The mound sealed an original peat deposit and also a scatter of stake-holes, which formed the outline of a possible oval structure. Samples were submitted for radiocarbon dating. The one from the mound returned a date of 3869 6 52 BP (2480–2190 cal BC at 2 sigma), while that from the trough was 3926 6 71 BP (2620–2190 cal BC at 2 sigma).

27 Merrion Square, Dublin 2