County: Meath Site name: Phoenixtown 1, Phoenixtown
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A029/010; E3128
Author: Ed Lyne, Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd, 120B Greenpark Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow.
Site type: Burnt-mound activity
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 679308m, N 770965m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.682392, -6.799465
This site was located within Contract 4 (Navan–Kells and Kells bypass) of the M3 Clonee to North of Kells motorway scheme and identified during testing carried out by Sian Keith (IAC Ltd) in June 2004 (Excavations 2004, No. 1311, 04E0926). It was excavated between 2 August and 6 September 2006 and was located c. 55m north of a small tributary stream of the River Blackwater.
The site consisted of a large burnt mound (20m by 10m by 0.3m) which sealed a series of features: pits (averaging 1.2m by 0.95m by 0.24m) and possible post-holes (averaging 0.34m by 0.28m by 0.18m), some of which may have represented a small circular hut structure (2.25m north–south by 2m) defined by post-holes 1m apart and a 2.1m-wide gap in the south-west which probably formed the entrance. A shallow depression was noted at the centre of this possible structure. A definite subrectangular trough (1.54m by 1.48m by 0.55m) was truncated by a post-medieval field drain.
Various other pits, post- and stake-holes were not covered by the burnt-mound material but some contained similar material in their fills, including a subrectangular possible trough (2.44m by 1.31m by 0.1m) with stake-holes in the corners. A number of pieces of pottery recovered from some of the pits seem on initial examination to be prehistoric in date.
Finds were scarce, but a few well-worked flint artefacts, including a possible Neolithic thumb scraper, were found in possible association with the mound.
Post-medieval agricultural features also traversed the site.
Editor’s note: Although excavated during 2006, the report on this site arrived too late for inclusion in the bulletin of that year.
