County: Wicklow Site name: Kilmurry South
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A022/049; E3235
Author: Red Tobin, 35 Brook Meadow, Avoca, Co. Wicklow for Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd.
Site type: Prehistoric pits
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 724565m, N 712142m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.145223, -6.137927
The excavation at Kilmurry South 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.
Site A022/049 is located on gently sloping land, which had been used for the growing of crops prior to the development. Testing revealed two areas of archaeological potential. Area A consisted of a single pit c. 2.5m north–south by 1.2m and 0.2m deep, which contained dark-brown charcoal-rich clays and small stones. Area B consisted of a single pit c. 10m east of Area A. This elongated pit measured 3.5m north–south and was 0.8m wide and 0.15m deep. Two small sherds of prehistoric pottery were recovered from a small hand-excavated section through this feature.
The function of the site is hard to interpret due to its ephemeral nature. Analysis of the pottery sherds identify them as Beaker ware, which places these features at the temporal interface between the Later Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age.
Editor’s note: Although excavated during 2006, the report on this site arrived too late for inclusion in the bulletin of that year.
