2010:836 - Carrigacurra, Wicklow

The site, at Carrigacurra, Ballyknockan, is situated on the edge of the shoreline of the Poulaphuca Reservoir and was first identified by Christopher J. Darby in March 2010. The site is located on the edge of the normal reservoir levels, and would therefore only be inundated when the water levels are at their highest. However, this is the area that is most prone to long-term and consistent erosion by the reservoir. The sand that has partially sealed the site and thereby preserved it over the last number of years is now itself being actively eroded by the reservoir, and the high water levels recorded in 2009 may have significantly contributed to the removal of sand and the resulting exposure of the site (which may explain why it has gone unnoticed until now). This recent erosion had compromised the stability of the site and made it more prone to erosion by the reservoir on the western and southern sides.
Prior to excavation the site appeared to consist of a burial chamber (0.45m wide and 1m long, open at the south-west) placed off-centre within a U-shaped kerb setting (2.1m north-west/south-east x 2.5m) retaining cairn material. Excavation suggests that there were two main phases of use. The initial phase consisted of the construction of the chamber, surrounding cairn and retaining kerb. The chamber was built off-centre within the cairn and retaining kerb and measured 1.2m long and 0.45m wide. The chamber was formed by two large slabs on the southern side, three on the opposite side, and two end stones. The kerb was best preserved at the south and rear. While there was a large amount of stone on the northern side, only one was clearly set. Several others may originally have formed part of the kerb but may have become dislodged by the reservoir at this side. The kerbstones and cairn material lay on a light-brown clay which appears to represent the old sod. This was not present within the burial chamber, where instead a grey silt was present at the lowest levels. The structure can be best compared with wedge tombs of the early Bronze Age (another wedge tomb in the general area is situated at Sroughan, c. 5.5km to the north). No dating evidence was forthcoming for the construction of the tomb, but evidence for this may be preserved beneath the cairn material and surrounding kerb, which was not excavated. There was no evidence for a primary burial within the tomb, but this may be due to later disturbance of the tomb during the early Iron Age.
Whatever about the date of the initial construction of the tomb, it is clear that it was reconfigured and probably reused during the early Iron Age. This phase was represented by a layer of charcoal that was placed within the main chamber and beyond the tomb. This dense charcoal layer (50mm thick) was identified by Ellen O’Carroll as consisting of hazel and oak. Hazel samples from this layer were sent for 14C dating and returned a date of 760–414 bc. There was no evidence for primary burials sealed beneath this charcoal layer, so perhaps the interior was cleaned out prior to the placement of this material within the chamber. There was no evidence for in situ burning of the clay beneath the charcoal layer, clearly indicating that it was deliberately placed here. The charcoal layer did not appear to be randomly dumped, but instead was apparently carefully placed within the chamber. The charcoal also extended north and east of the tomb, but notably was not present beneath the kerbstones of cairn material. The charcoal layer also occurred throughout a void between the chamber and the large kerbstone at the north. It is not clear if this void represents an original chamber or if it was created during this reuse of the site.
Within the rear of the main chamber three stones were found sitting on the charcoal, and the evidence indicated that the chamber was deliberately reduced in size after the charcoal had been placed within. This certainly implies that the intention was to reuse the main chamber for the purpose of burial – perhaps this was also the purpose of what appears to be the new chamber adjacent to it. However, if this was the case, any trace of burial was removed by the reservoir.