County: Kilkenny Site name: Dunkitt/Miltown/Ballynamorahan/ Ballykillaboy/Ballykeoghan/Rahard West/Rossinan/Scart/Deerpark/Glendonnel/Mullinavat/Garrandarragh/Ballylusky/ Earlsra
Sites and Monuments Record No.: - Licence number: A032/01–A032/08, e2098, e2099
Author: Emer Dennehy, Bill Frazer, Melanie McQuade and Bernice Molloy, Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd, 27 Merrion Square, Dublin 2.
Site type: Testing
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 658172m, N 616844m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.300175, -7.147087
Test-trenching of Contracts 1 and 2 of the N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford scheme was carried out along a stretch of c. 35.1km of the proposed road improvement scheme (Chainage 2000–37100m). The more southerly 14.1km extent of Contract 1 (ref. no. E2099, works nos A032/01–04) extended from Dunkitt to Knockmoylan townlands (Chainage 2000–16100). Contract 2 (ref no. E2098, Works nos A032/05–08) was 21km long and extended from Knockmoylan to Danesfort townlands (Chainage 16100–37100).
The programme was conducted under Ministerial Direction by Directors Melanie McQuade (works nos A032/01, A032/08), Bernice Molloy (A032/02, A032/07), Emer Dennehy (A032/03, A032/06) and Adam Slater (A032/04, A032/05). Bill Frazer served as Senior Archaeologist and Eamonn Briscoe as Archaeological Surveyor. The work was undertaken for Kilkenny County Council between 30 January and 3 March 2006. It was overseen by Project Archaeologist James Eogan and Assistant Archaeologist Bernice Kelly of the National Roads Authority.
Testing took the form of a mechanically excavated centre-line trench with alternate 90° offsets at 20m intervals, and at 10m intervals in previously designated site specific areas. Additional trenches were opened to clarify potential archaeology identified. In total, some 44,315 linear metres of trenches were dug in the Contract 1 area and some 63,284 linear metres in Contract 2; 39 archaeological sites (AR001–039) were identified in Contract 1 and 49 (AR040–088) in Contract 2.
The recommended resolution for these 88 sites was undertaken in 2006–7 by Valerie J. Keeley Ltd and Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd.
