County: Wicklow Site name: INCHANAPPA
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 05E1193
Author: Shane Delaney, Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd, 8 Dungar Terrace, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.
Site type: Possible prehistoric settlement
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 727126m, N 697330m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.011567, -6.105526
Test-trenching commenced at the site on 7 November 2005 and lasted for seventeen days. This was carried out using two 20-tonne tracked excavating machines, each equipped with a flat, toothless bucket. Testing was carried out over ten fields and produced evidence for eight areas of archaeological potential.
Sites 1 and 2 appear to represent prehistoric activity and some prehistoric pottery and flint debitage was recovered from them. Site 3 may represent prehistoric activity, as flint debitage was recovered from it. Site 4 may be an enclosing ditch associated with a known site located within the test area. A fragment of rotary quernstone was recovered from the ditch fill. The site is recorded as SMR 25:26, and consists of the remains of an ecclesiastical enclosure. It was not subject to testing, as it will not be impacted on by the proposed development. Sites 5 and 6 appear to be the remains of burning events, possibly cooking pits. Sites 7 and 8 represent a large area of mixed activity and produced a lot of evidence for burning activity, including burnt bone and slag material. Some sherds of prehistoric pottery were recovered from across the sites.
Site 4, the ditch, possibly associated with the RMP site, is in an area where the developer intends to landscape and will not be impacted upon by intrusive excavation. The remaining sites that were identified will be subject to archaeological resolution at a later date.
