County: Kildare Site name: Mullamast
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E002972
Author: Liam Hackett, Headland Archaeology Ltd, Unit 1 Wallingstown Business Park. Little Island, Cork.
Site type: Multi-period
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 678862m, N 694983m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.999763, -6.825123
This site was excavated as part of the N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford scheme, Phase 3: Kilcullen to Carlow. E2972 was located near the base of the east-facing slope of Mullamast hill, directly south-west of Ballitore village. It was bounded on the east by a tertiary road leading northwards to Peelhall crossroads, which separated this site from an adjacent Bronze Age inhumation cemetery (E2980, No. 834 above).
Previous testing had revealed the presence of pits and an arc of a ring gully. Full excavation revealed prehistoric pits and a crouched inhumation burial, a bowl furnace, burnt pits, medieval corn-drying kilns, animal bone refuse pits, a number of ring gullies and post-medieval field systems.
A scatter of pits towards the south edge of the road-take yielded worked chert, a flint blade and a leaf-shaped flint arrowhead, suggesting Neolithic activity on site. The single burial consisted of a crouched inhumation lying on its right side with clasped hands and no feet, within a shallow grave-cut in the centre of the site and associated with the adjacent cemetery site. The bowl furnace located towards the east edge of the site produced slag, indicating metalworking activity. Three other pits had evidence of in situ burning.
Seven medieval corn-drying kilns were located within the excavated area. Four shared a north–south orientation with two north-west/south-east and a final east–west kiln. The majority were located along the east edge of the site with a number of similar kilns situated nearby along the west edge of the adjacent cemetery site. Finds retrieved included a bone pin. Numerous refuse pits containing a quantity of animal bone were located near to the kilns and are possibly contemporary.
Nine arced ring gullies were represented on site. They post-dated the kiln activity and are possibly post-medieval in date; their function was not clear. Post-medieval field division and agricultural activity was represented by a number of field boundary ditches, a curvilinear ditch and north–south-running plough furrows.
