County: Wexford Site name: Cooladine 1
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E004162
Author: Yvonne Whitty, for TVAS (Ireland) Ltd, Ahish, Ballinruan, Crusheen, Co. Clare.
Site type: Pits, post-and stake-holes
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 700133m, N 638220m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.486197, -6.525652
Cooladine 1 was located on the proposed M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy scheme. The site was located in an undulating field from which barley had been recently harvested. It is generally dry raised ground but to the south and west drops down to the Corbally Stream. The site was located on the crest of the hill with commanding views over the countryside.
Cooladine 1 was a large site (9943m2) in which were approximately 68 pits, 33 post-holes, 24 stake-holes, one hearth and three field ditches. The ceramic assemblage indicates at least two phases of prehistoric activity dating to the Neolithic and Bronze Age. The Neolithic activity was identified in two distinct areas of the site. Several pits and a series of post-holes were excavated in the western part of the site. Although the post-holes didn’t conform to the pattern of a typical Neolithic house, they did appear to be structural. The second concentration of Neolithic activity was represented by pottery recovered from a series of shallow pits which encompassed an area measuring approximately 40m by 30m. The pits were backfilled with debris material which contained significant quantities of Neolithic pottery. The volume and presence of ‘wasters’ may indicate a manufacturing site. The pits were 1m in average length and 0.25m in average depth.
Evidence of activity in the Bronze Age was recorded in the lowest part of the site at the western limit of excavation. A slot-trench (8m x 0.4m x 0.24m) which extended beyond the western limit of excavation was filled with Bronze Age pottery. Four post-holes were located in close proximity to this slot-trench.
Two possible structures defined by post-holes were also excavated at the north and north-eastern part of the site. No diagnostic pottery was recovered from these features to indicate a date; however, they were probably also prehistoric. The prehistoric activity was confined to the west of the site in an area measuring 16m by 20m. Several other pits were located at the centre of the site in an area measuring 20m by 30m. A large quantity of flint, prehistoric pottery, quartz and a whetstone were all recorded from site.
