County: Kildare Site name: Ballymount
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E002876
Author: Gillian McCarthy, Headland Archaeology Ltd, Wallingstown Business Park, Little Island, Cork.
Site type: Linear ditches and pits
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 681970m, N 701614m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.058875, -6.777157
This site was excavated as part of the N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford scheme, Phase 3: Kilcullen to Carlow. An area of 20m by 20m was stripped of topsoil measuring between 0.25m and 0.4m in depth. A linear ditch was exposed running diagonally across the site for a distance of 25m in a north-west/south-east direction. The ditch was originally a small linear ditch that was recut to the south-west of its original line. Another ditch, 034, also terminated in this area next to a pit, 006. The pit was filled with many layers of rubbish containing a lot of animal bone sealed with redeposited natural layers. To the west of this pit was another pit, which contained an animal skeleton. Large parts of the skeleton were articulated but some seemed disturbed. This has been provisionally identified as bovine, as a horn was found. To the north of ditch 034 was a small possible smelting pit. It measured 0.5m in diameter and 0.3m in depth, was full of charcoal and iron slag and the base of the pit was burnt.
Half of a possible decorated glass bead was found in the pit with the skeleton.
