County: Wicklow Site name: Ballyrogan Lower
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A022/027, E3212
Author: Goorik Dehaene, Coolroe, Tinahely, Co. Wicklow, for Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd.
Site type: Truncated burnt mound/fulacht fiadh activity
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 727601m, N 680939m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.864221, -6.104902
This site, in Ballyrogan Lower, c. 8.5km north-east of Arklow town in Co. Wicklow, comprised a burnt-mound/fulacht fiadh site. The archaeological investigation was undertaken in June and July 2006 on behalf of the National Roads Authority on the route of the N11 Rathnew to Arklow road improvement.
The site is situated in flat land c. 200m south-east of an area of archaeological potential recognised by the EIS for the project as the remnants of a field boundary.
The recorded site is contained within 20m by 20m and comprises stake-holes, pits and a ditch. Five stake-holes were recorded in the centre of the site. All were vertical with rounded bases. The stake-holes were contained within a triangular area that measured 3m east–west by 2.5m. Two pits were recorded in the centre of the site. The larger comprised an oval rounded cut (2.3m east–west by 1.58m by 0.6m) with three fills. This pit may have functioned as a simple trough; it was cut by the ditch. The truncated burnt spread comprised six small burnt spreads extending over a subrectangular area that measured 10m (east–west) by 5m. A north–south-aligned ditch was located in the centre of the site. This ditch is the most recent feature on the site but was not recognised on the first-edition OS maps for the area.
Fifteen flints, three late-medieval/post-medieval pottery sherds, four clay-pipe stems and modern tableware were recovered from the site.
