2008:077 - Oakpark/Painestown, Carlow

Evidence of prehistoric, medieval and post-medieval activity was identified in the townland of Oakpark/Painestown, c. 2km north-east of Carlow town, Co. Carlow, during investigation between September 2008 and January 2009.
The site was located on gently sloping, south-facing pasture in the south-western corner of a substantial 70-acre area to the north of a golf-course that bounds the area to the north and west. The southern boundary of the site is delimited by the N9 Carlow to Dublin road. The area is partially enclosed to the east and south by the Oakpark estate wall, which probably dates to the 18th century and marks the townland boundary between Oakpark/Painestown and Pollerton Little to the south, and the county boundary between Carlow and Kildare to the east.
Previous investigations by John Channing in the neighbouring townland of Knocknagee (Excavations 2001, No. 655, 01E0528, and No. 656, 01E0749) also identified prehistoric activity.
An assessment highlighted the presence of an enclosure/ringfort (CW002–012), as well as the former Oakpark estate wall (Cultural Heritage Site 2) and racetrack (Cultural Heritage Site 1). A geophysical survey of the area of the RMP (conducted under detection licence number 08R0021) identified the extent of the enclosure/ringfort ditch, which is also visible as a cropmark and slight earthwork.
An area of archaeological potential is represented by a deep drainage channel that runs inside the southern boundary of the estate wall. This feature is marked on the 1829–1941 edition of the OS mapping and its current alignment probably dates to the 18th century, when the estate wall was constructed.
A series of nine test-trenches were excavated across the extent of the enclosure/ringfort in order to identify the nature and extent of the archaeology in the area. Targeted test-trenching was also carried out on potential features identified from the geophysical survey.
The results concluded that the site of the enclosure is likely to be that of a ringfort, represented by a substantial ditch and remains of a possible denuded internal bank. Several internal features were also identified, potentially representing contemporary domestic or industrial activity with the ringfort. The presence of a concentric external ditch may indicate that this was a bivallate fort.
Additional linear features identified in Trenches 1 and 2 appeared to suggest the presence of an earlier ditch running across the site, which may indicate the presence of an earlier field system, but this could not be fully determined during testing.
The site of the racetrack was identified in two trenches, Trenches 4 and 5, and consisted of a compacted clay material with frequent stone content. The presence of this feature in two areas on the same alignment may suggest the racetrack was moved during its use. Conversely, the surface in Trench 5, identified as a parched cropmark, may indicate the presence of an associated trackway or path.
Trench 1 also identified a series of charcoal-rich deposits within small pits and post-holes.
Following these findings, an excavation was undertaken to the immediate north of the enclosure/ringfort, encompassing the northern extent of Trench 1 and spanning an area orientated roughly east–west. Four phases of activity were identified.
The earliest phase (Phase 1) was represented by three areas of post- and stake-holes, possibly representing the remains of an Early Neolithic structure. Decorated Neolithic pottery similar to that found in Linkardstown-type cists (A. Brindley, pers. comm.) was recovered from one of these areas, while slightly finer pottery sherds and a leaf-shaped arrowhead, as well as flint debitage, were recovered from the other. An alignment of stake-holes may represent the remains of a fence line to the north of one of these areas.
A later prehistoric phase (Phase 2) was represented by a ring-ditch of possible Bronze Age date with an internal diameter of 4.5m. Only half of this feature was within the excavated area.
An arc of c. 25m of the outer ditch of the enclosure/ringfort was excavated, representing an early medieval or medieval phase (Phase 3) of activity. The remains of two cereal-drying kilns were identified outside the ringfort area: one to the east and one to the north. These were associated with post- and stake-holes, which may be indicative of contemporary structural features.
The final phase (Phase 4) was represented by a series of shallow linear features and plough furrows, probably dating to the post-medieval or early modern periods.
Post-excavation analysis is ongoing.