2008:709 - AR127, Kellymount 5, Kilkenny

This site was located within the N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford Scheme, Waterford to Powerstown Phase 4 – Knocktopher to Powerstown. The site was located on flat land with a slight eastern aspect, beside a narrow stream. The excavation was carried out between 18 December 2007 and 15 February 2008.
The remains of three possible phases of occupation at the site of Kellymount 5 were investigated. The earliest phase represented a burnt-mound complex which contained two unlined subrectangular troughs, one lined, oval-shaped trough with internal stake-holes, a stone platform, and 15 sub-oval/circular-shaped pits. Only the eastern part of the burnt mound was excavated as the rest of it was outside the extent of the lands made available for the purposes of construction. The main burnt-mound deposit, due to the stream and agricultural activity, was very dispersed and measured c. 30m by 13m by 0.4m maximum depth.
Two probable cremation pits and an adjacent double ring-ditch with a central cremation pit were also identified. The outer ring-ditch measured c. 12m in external diameter, was c. 2.1m wide and was c. 1.1m deep. The inner ring-ditch measured 5.6m in external diameter, was 0.4m wide and only 0.2m deep. Both ringditches were predominantly filled with silt and therefore most likely had been left open. burnt-mound material was also recovered from their fills, thereby indicating that they may have been slightly later than the burnt-mound activity. Neither ring-ditch contained cremated bone in their fills; however, the small central pit contained highly fragmented burnt bone. Two other possible cremation pits, which contained burnt bone, were located just to the south of the ring-barrow. An almost complete vessel of the ‘vase tradition’ was recovered from one of the abovementioned subrectangular troughs and was most likely associated with this second phase of occupation (preliminary identification by Eoin Grogan).
The last phase of activity consisted of a Y-shaped feature with adjacent waterhole(s), a linear feature and few small pits. The Y-shaped feature contained burnt bone, animal bone and occasional metal slag in its fills as well as one complete iron tanged blade and a few fragments of iron implements. Due to the presence of the slag and the iron artefacts, this phase was ascribed an Iron Age/early medieval date.