2007:869 - Woodlands West, Kildare

This site was excavated as part of the N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford scheme, Phase 3: Kilcullen to Carlow. The site is on a gravel plateau overlooking the River Lerr, a tributary of the River Barrow.
An area measuring 10,114m2 was stripped of topsoil and three circular ring-ditches and a horseshoe-shaped ditch were revealed. A large number of pits and post-holes, including possible evidence of structures, were found in association with these ditches as well as a number of cremation burials. All features were cut into the glacial gravel and filled with silty material and occasionally redeposited gravel.
A small possible bowl furnace (0.52m north-west by 0.4m by 0.25m deep) was identified on the east side of the site together with a number of shallow pits containing metalworking debris and oxidised soil.
A circular ring-ditch (1.25m wide by maximum 0.37m deep) with a causewayed entrance (1.55m wide) on its western side was identified 30m north-west of the bowl furnace. The enclosed area had a diameter of 7.5m. A large amount of animal bone was recovered from the fill of this ditch, including antler and the mandibles of juvenile cattle; the bone was mainly concentrated opposite the entrance. A number of worked flints were also recovered, including a miniature tanged arrowhead (12mm long). A dense cluster of pits, post-holes and cremation burials was located immediately north of this ring-ditch. These features were in a roughly rectangular arrangement (c. 5m by 7m), suggestive of a structure of some kind. Two cremations were identified on the north edge of this area; they consisted of shallow circular pits filled with burnt bone and charcoal. Small amounts of burnt bone were identified in a number of other features in this area; it is possible that these were token deposits of cremated material; however, further post-excavation work is necessary in order to substantiate this. Two notably large post-holes (c. 0.5m diam. by 1.2m deep) were also identified, one in the ring-ditch interior and one within the ditch itself. These would have supported large upright posts and are stratigraphically contemporary with the ring-ditch. Two further concentrations of post-holes and pits were identified to the south of this ring-ditch and a third cluster of features was located to the north-west. No cremations were identified in these areas.
A second circular ring-ditch (1.45m wide by max. 0.4m deep) was identified 21m south-east of the activity described above. It had an internal diameter of 6.5m. A recut was identified in the centre of the ditch all around the circumference; it had a V-shaped profile and was filled with stony material. Two cremations were excavated within the area enclosed by the ditch; they were both shallow pits with a moderate amount of burnt bone. A small number of irregular pits were located immediately north of this ditch.
A large circular ring-ditch, a horseshoe-shaped-ditch and a post structure were located in the south-east corner of the site, 36.5m from the second circular ditch described above. The terminals of the horseshoe-shaped-ditch were 6m apart and the ditch was between 1m and 1.6m wide by between 0.5m and 0.76m deep. There was an abundance of charcoal on the surface of the ditch fill. The interior had suffered from plough damage but three possible disturbed cremations were identified; three further cremations were identified outside of the ditch. All these cremations consisted of shallow pits filled with burnt bone and charcoal; two small bronze rings were recovered from one of the internal cremations.
The open end of the horseshoe-shaped ditch was facing on to a large circular ring-ditch which was 3.3m to the west. This ditch had an internal diameter of 9m and the ditch itself measured 1.34m wide on the north side and between 0.5m and 0.76m deep. On the south-east side the ditch was up to 1.7m wide due to a recut which altered the east half of the original ditch. This recut had a V-shaped profile and was filled with stony material. The interior of this ditch was slightly raised and as a result severely damaged by ploughing; only a few possible disturbed features and some scattered burnt bone could be identified. Outside the ditch on the south-east side a cremation similar to those associated with the horseshoe-shaped ditch was identified.
Four substantial post-holes (c. 0.5m diam.), likely to represent a structure, were identified in an area 5.9m south-east of the large circular ring-ditch. Four small pits were also identified in this area. When viewed from the south-east the post-hole structure, large circular ring-ditch and horseshoe-shaped ditch are in alignment and it seems that these elements combined constituted a single funerary monument.
Additional testing was carried out between this monument and the original riverbed to the south, as the potential for related archaeological remains was high. However, the only features identified were post-medieval in date. Several large gravel extraction pits were identified; these correlate with the ‘gravel quarry’ marked on the second-edition OS maps. A post-medieval limekiln was also identified and excavated. The kiln was mortar bonded and the shaft survived to a height of 0.6m. A deposit of solidified lime and dense charcoal was found at the base of the chamber. The draw of the kiln extended 1.5m from the chamber and it measured a maximum of 1.4m wide.