County: Kilkenny Site name: AR084, Danesfort
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A032/071; E3537
Author: Emma Devine, Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd, 120B Greenpark Road, Bray, Wicklow.
Site type: Prehistoric pits
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 652817m, N 648147m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.582045, -7.220654
This site was located within the N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford road scheme along Contract 2, Phase 4, Knocktopher to Powerstown. An area 25m by 25m was stripped of topsoil and a series of eight randomly scattered circular pits of varying dimensions from over 1m in diameter to 0.25m in depth, two stake-holes and one post-pit were recorded. Five of the pits contained a coarse ceramic that may be Bronze Age in date and some contained burnt bone. It is possible the pits represent token cremations in a Bronze Age flat cemetery. Further analysis of the recovered bone will be necessary to ascertain if it is indeed human. The stake-holes and post may have supported a light wattle fence. The adjoining Danesfort site (see No. 902 above, AR083) with a pit containing sherds of several different cinerary urns may also be related to this activity.
