2007:755 - Ballyvass, Kildare

This site was excavated as part of the N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford scheme, Phase 3: Kilcullen to Carlow. Centreline trenching (CRDS 2006) identified a series of possible features including three pits and a hearth. The area of excavation was extended beyond the immediate find site and further features were identified. These included further pits, producing prehistoric pottery sherds. This scatter of features intensified in frequency to the south and east, revealing a number of stake-holes, some post-holes and two well-defined plank sockets. Several of these features were linked by clearly defined slot-trenches. Some of these features produced quantities of pottery, including some coarseware, probably Bronze Age in date, but also some highly decorated sherds from a small, well-formed vessel, possibly either in the food vessel or Beaker tradition. The features may consolidate into a small, relatively flimsy structure.
Immediately to the north of this prehistoric activity a large figure-of-eight kiln was unearthed. The kiln was considerably silted up and revealed that it had been used over a very limited period, displaying evidence for only two firing events. The kiln had been dug through the hill wash into the natural below. It became a concern that the hill wash might have covered further prehistoric material and, following the completion of the kiln excavation, the ground surface was further reduced, but no further features were exposed.