County: Carlow Site name: Rathcrogue
Sites and Monuments Record No.: - Licence number: E002592
Author: Joanne Hughes, Headland Archaeology Ltd, Unit 1, Wallingstown Business Park, Little Island, Cork.
Site type: Fulacht fiadh and spring/well
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 675556m, N 672977m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.802494, -6.879484
The site was excavated as part of the N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford scheme: Kilcullen to Powerstown. It was located east of the proposed junction with the existing N80. Testing in 2005 located a shallow fulacht fiadh trough and two possible post-holes. Excavation identified a shallow, irregular-shaped mound consisting of loose black silt clay and heat-shattered limestone and sandstone. It measured 17.5m long (north-east/south-west) and 17m wide and was heavily disturbed by modern activity to the north. A well/spring was located under the fulacht fiadh mound; it was irregular in shape and measured 8m long (north-west/south-east) by 6m wide and was 1.7m deep. The well was filled with a number of slump deposits and organic debris. A total of six troughs were located south-west of the well. A further six small pits were also identified. The site should be viewed in conjunction with adjacent site E2596 (see No. 193 above), a possible Bronze Age settlement site. No finds were recovered from this excavation.
