County: Kilkenny Site name: HOLDENSTOWN (AR096)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A032/100; E3681
Author: Yvonne Whitty, Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd.
Site type: Ring-ditch and Burial ground
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 656675m, N 651297m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.609969, -7.163191
This site was located within the N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford road scheme along Contract 2, Phase 4B, Knocktopher to Powerstown, on high ground which had commanding views of the surrounding countryside. The site was multi-period, dating from the prehistoric to the early medieval periods. The archaeology was defined by a series of four enclosures, a linear feature, nine burials, and pits/post-holes. The prehistoric activity was represented by two complete ring-ditches and a third ring-ditch which was truncated by modern activity. The largest of the ring-ditches had a diameter of 14m and antler was deposited at the base of this ditch. To the west, another ring-ditch was located which had a diameter of 8m and contained cremated bone within the fill. Six early medieval burials, which were east–west-aligned, were contained within this ring-ditch. Three other burials were located to the east of the ring-ditches and were enclosed by a larger enclosure which was 40m in diameter. This enclosure had a clearly defined entrance at the east and was subcircular in plan; the ditch had an average depth of 0.6m and filled naturally with water. The enclosure respected a shallow linear feature which was to the north and ran north-east/south-west, along the same alignment as the burials.
120B Greenpark Road, Bray, Wicklow
