2005:890 - KILLEANY, Laois

An assessment was carried out in advance of the proposed M7 Portlaoise–Castletown/M8 Portlaoise–Cullahill motorway scheme between February and June 2005. The work was carried out on behalf of Laois County Council and the National Roads Authority. The section of the project described here is Testing Area 12 of Contract 3. Contract 3 consists of c. 15km of motorway which extends north–south from the termination of the Portlaoise bypass to Aghaboe through the townlands from Clonboyne to Gortnaclea. This section contains the Toll Plaza in the townland of Clonadacasey, a grade separated junction at the tie-in with the existing M7 Portlaoise bypass and a bridge crossing the River Nore in the townland of Cloncough and associated ancillary works. Testing Area 12 was located in the townland of Killeany (Chainage 21960–23230). A mechanical excavator with a 2.15m-wide grading bucket was used to excavate the centre-line and offset trenches. The archaeological contract required offset trenches to be excavated at 15m intervals (i.e. at 7.5m intervals on alternate sides of the centre-line trench). Three archaeological sites were identified in the area.

Killeany 1 consists of a section of a large curvilinear ditch enclosing a low hill, located in Field 218a (Plot 188), at Chainage 22000. The ditch is the continuation of a large enclosure ditch identified in the next two fields to the south-west, Field 216 (Plot 193) and Field 217 (Plot 194), both of which are included in Testing Area 13. The ditch as contained by the limits of the land-take for the road represents much of the southern half of a large enclosure established around the summit of a low hill, with an overall diameter of c. 130m. The ditch measures 3.5m in width. Sections of the ditch were hand excavated in Testing Area 13 to determine its depth and the nature of the infilling deposits, where it was found to have a surviving depth of 1–1.2m. No additional sections were excavated in Testing Area 12. No artefacts were discovered on the site, but in terms of its overall setting and scale, and until further excavation takes place, the site may be tentatively interpreted as the remains of a settlement of some significance.

Killeany 2 consists of the remains of a circular house site, located in Field 218 (Plot 215), at Chainage 22100. Just over half of a circular foundation trench was exposed, consisting of a C-shaped band of mid-brown silty sand containing occasional flecks of charcoal. The cut was c. 0.22m wide and had an overall diameter of c. 5m. Due to the extremely delicate nature of the material, it was considered best not to expose the complete outline of the feature, which probably represents the remains of a round house of prehistoric date.

Killeany 3 consists of a cluster of circular pits and post-holes, located in Field 218a (Plot 188), at Chainage 22030. Two pits were c. 1.9m and c. 1.2m in diameter. The larger pit a contained soft grey/brown silty clay fill, with a number of stones on the base. Three other circular spreads of grey/brown sandy silt containing flecks of charcoal may also be the remains of pits. A series of four smaller patches of grey/brown clay, aligned north–south to the west of the pits, may represent the remains of post-holes. The whole group is contained in an area measuring c. 5m (north–south) by c. 3m. No artefacts were found on the site. Further work should clarify the function and dating of the features.

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