County: Kildare Site name: BARBERSTOWN LOWER/CASTLEDILLION LOWER/ARDRASS UPPER
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 06E1020 ext.
Author: James Kyle
Site type: Pit
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 629945m, N 794414m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.898255, -7.544383
This report was prepared, on behalf of Nicholas O’Dwyer and Kildare County Council, to study the impact, if any, on the archaeological resource of the proposed Castlewarden to Ballygoran pipeline and reservoir, which is located in the townlands of Barberstown Lower, Castledillon Lower and Ardrass Upper.
Testing was undertaken along sections of the proposed pipeline and reservoir. This follows on from an assessment carried out by Amanda Kelly of Irish Archaeological Consultancy in July 2006. The schedule of testing commenced in the townland of Barberstown Lower on 16 March 2011 and concluded on 14 June 2011 in the townland of Castledillon Lower.
A total of 763m of trenches were excavated within Barberstown Lower. A single sub-rounded pit was identified within Test Trench 2. The feature measured 0.55m east–west x 0.52m and was 0.1m deep where sectioned. The fill comprised a soft, friable, mid- to dark grey/brown silty clay with moderate charcoal inclusions. A single piece of flint debitage was also recovered. A total of 2,077m of trenches were excavated within the Castledillon Lower and Ardrass Upper test areas, but nothing of archaeological significance was identified.
Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd, 120b Greenpark Road, Bray, County Wicklow
