County: Kildare Site name: BALLYMOUNT
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E002874
Author: Gillian McCarthy, Headland Archaeology Ltd.
Site type: Fulacht fia
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 681584m, N 701138m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.054658, -6.783033
This site was excavated as part of the N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford scheme, Phase 3: Kilcullen to Carlow. An area 15m by 15m was stripped but was later extended. The burnt spread identified during testing was small, only measuring 4.1m by 3.5m. This was located above a natural peat layer at the western end.
To the south-west of this and underneath the peat layer, a long length of timber was found running in the direction of Narraghmore Bog. In the southern half of the site another small burnt spread was found beside a large trough (0.98m by 1.28m) that may have had a timber lining. In the centre of the site, just east of the original burnt spread, a large disturbed subcircular feature with an internal stone lining was found. This was also filled with a mixture of stones and gravel and a number of animal bones and antler were recovered from this. This feature was cut by a modern ditch, which linked up with a larger boundary ditch that was visible on the first-edition OS map. Situated to the north of this feature was another large pit, with stake-holes in its base and sides. Further north, in the last area to be extended, a number of natural-looking pits were found beneath the peat, some of which contained animal bone and worked pieces of flint and chert.
Wallingstown Business Park, Little Island, Cork
