County: Wicklow Site name: COOLBEG
Sites and Monuments Record No.: WI031–045 Licence number: A022/064, E3250
Author: Goorik Dehaene, for Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd.
Site type: Prehistoric site - lithic scatter
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 727686m, N 690566m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.950677, -6.099859
The site, in Coolbeg, c. 4km south-west of Wicklow town, comprised two pits and a truncated burnt spread. The archaeological investigation was undertaken in March and April 2006 on behalf of the National Roads Authority on the route of the N11 Rathnew to Arklow road improvement. The site, located on level ground, is south of E3252 (see No. 2174, Excavations 2006) and south-west of E3251 (see No. 2173, Excavations 2006) and is in the south of the constraint area for WI031–045, a flint scatter.
The site, which measured 20m by 20m, comprised a burnt spread, two pits and a ditch. A shallow burnt spread was in the west of the site and continued beyond the limit of the investigation. Two pits were located in the west of the site. They were shallow and rounded and both contained burnt-spread material. The ditch was aligned east–west and was in the centre of the site. This ditch was not identified on the first-edition OS maps. Evidence for recent hedge clearance was identified in the upper fill of the ditch. Eleven flint artefacts were recovered from the site.
Coolroe, Tinahely, Co. Wicklow
