2005:891 - 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 13 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 13 was located in the townland of Killeany (Chainage 21540–21980). A mechanical excavator with a 2.15m-wide grading bucket was used to excavate the centre-line and offset trenches. Offset trenches were excavated at 20m intervals (i.e. at 10m intervals on alternate sides of the centre-line trench). One archaeological site was identified in the area.

Killeany 1 consists of the southern half of a hilltop enclosure, defined by a single enclosure ditch, with a diameter of c. 130m, located in Field 216 (Plot 193) and Field 217 (Plot 194), at Chainage 21850–21980. The northern half of the enclosure lies outside the limits of the land-take for the road. Two sections of the ditch were hand excavated in Field 216. The ditch was c. 3.05m wide by just over 1m deep, with a gradual, U-shaped profile. The primary fills comprised pale brown sand with occasional inclusions of charcoal and grey/brown silty sand containing a small quantity of animal bone. The overlying context, grey/brown silty clay with occasional spots of charcoal (F9), revealed further evidence for the silting up of the lower level of the ditch. This material contrasted with a dark-grey/black sandy silt, containing much charcoal and burnt and unburnt sandstones, which was superimposed on the surface of F9. The upper fill comprised mid- to dark-brown sandy silt, similar in quality to the topsoil.

The enclosure not only traversed Fields 216 and 217 of Testing Area 13, but continued north-east into Field 218a in Testing Area 12. The fields show evidence of intensive cultivation in more recent times, in the form of many closely spaced furrows, and there is no doubt that the ditch and contemporary features internal to it are now heavily truncated. Indeed, testing within the limits of the enclosure failed to reveal any archaeological features or deposits. Despite clear signs of truncation, the ditch remains an impressively substantial feature and further excavation of the site has the potential to produce much material of archaeological significance.

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