County: Kildare Site name: Belan
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E002957
Author: Red Tobin, Headland Archaeology, Unit 1, Wallingstown Business Park, Little Island, Cork.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 677181m, N 689585m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.951496, -6.851457
This site was excavated as part of the N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford scheme, Phase 3: Kilcullen to Carlow. Centreline trenching (CRDS 2006) identified possible features at this location which were interpreted as a ‘keyhole’ cereal-drying kiln and adjacent rake-out. The possible kiln was defined by what appeared to be a long linear flue feeding into a roughly oval bowl.
Excavation of these features determined that the interpretation was erroneous. The features contained a uniform fill more representative of localised root burning than any form of cereal drying. The excavation did not reveal any area of concentrated burning (firing pit) and the fill did not contain any cereal grains whatsoever. The fill had a high clay content, more representative of root clearance. Ploughing in the area truncated these features, giving them the appearance of a cereal-drying kiln in plan.
