County: Laois Site name: PARKNAHOWN (4)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A015/072
Author: Tara O’Neill, for Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd.
Site type: Pit and Burnt spread
Period/Dating: Neolithic (4000BC-2501 BC)
ITM: E 634089m, N 673799m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.814095, -7.494322
An excavation was carried out in response to an assessment in advance of the proposed M7 Portlaoise–Castletown/M8 Portlaoise–Cullahill motorway scheme between October and November 2005. The work was carried out on behalf of Laois County Council and the National Roads Authority. This report describes the excavation of Parknahown 4, located on Contract 1. This site was identified as a collection of pits and post-holes following the assessment of Testing Area 13. Contract 1 of the project incorporated the Portlaoise to Cullahill section of the scheme, consisting of c. 14km of motorway, which extends from Aghaboe to south of Cullahill through the townlands from Gortnaclea to Oldtown. Parknahown 4 was located adjacent to and north of Cullahill Lane.
Topsoil-stripping on this site revealed a small collection of shallow pits and spreads towards the eastern extent of the field. The pits and spreads were Neolithic in date and appeared to represent domestic refuse. Sherds of Neolithic pottery were retrieved from one of these pits. The second cluster of possible post-holes identified in the testing phase were deemed non-archaeological. All of the samples from this site have yet to be analysed.
Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth
