2007:904 - AR085, Danesfort, Kilkenny

This site was located within the N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford road scheme along Contract 2, Phase 4, Knocktopher to Powerstown. Elements of a possible prehistoric field system were excavated in a 60m by 40m area. These included a 67m south-east to north-west orientated curvilinear ditch that was interrupted by a 1.6m gap and a 30m west–east ditch which ran perpendicular to this ditch after a similar 2m gap. Both ditches were U-shaped, c. 0.4m deep, c. 0.6m wide and continued outside the CPO. The gaps were probably entrances into the fields and a cluster of stake-holes near the former gap suggests that gateposts may have been in place. The interpretation of the field system as prehistoric stems from the discovery of a hearth containing 86 Bronze Age pottery fragments, a neighbouring small pit with three pieces of burnt flint and a piece of flint from the west–east ditch. The ditches do not respect current field boundary alignments and are not shown on the first- or second-edition OS maps. There were a few other small pits in the area but these did not produce any finds.