County: Wicklow Site name: Kilmurry North
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A022/050; E3236
Author: Red Tobin, 35 Brook Meadow, Avoca, Co. Wicklow for Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd.
Site type: Burnt mound
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 725275m, N 713404m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.156390, -6.126829
This excavation was carried out on behalf of Wicklow County Council and the National Roads Authority in advance of the construction of the N11 Rathnew to Arklow road improvement scheme.
Initial archaeological testing at site A022/050 revealed an irregular spread of black sandy silt containing charcoal and heat-shattered stone. It measured c. 0.23m in depth. Subsequent excavation revealed a burnt mound or fulacht fiadh, associated with a number of additional smaller features and flint debris.
This site is a classic example of a burnt mound, comprising a substantial spread of discarded firing material in close proximity to a large water-bearing pit. A series of stake-holes to the east of the pit and spread may denote the presence of a small temporary structure. The scatter of almost 200 flint flakes to the east of the mound is evidence of a knapping floor, indicative of a period of occupation close to the site, though probably over a very short period.
The date range for A022/050 demonstrates that this burnt mound functioned largely during the second millennium bc crossing over from the Late Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age. An average across the dates places the site at 2470–2480 cal bc.
Editor’s note: Although excavated during 2006, the report on this site arrived too late for inclusion in the bulletin of that year.
