County: Kildare Site name: Srowland
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 11E0165
Author: Edmond O’Donovan
Site type: Bronze Age
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 666363m, N 696455m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.014676, -7.011005
Monitoring was carried out during the construction phase of the Srowland Water Treatment Plant in 2011 and 2012. The monitoring uncovered the remains of a series of previously unknown archaeological sites (Sites 1-4) that relate to settlement activity in the prehistoric period. These sites were reported in Excavations 2011 (No. 371).
The sites were all located on the level flood plain extending back from the River Barrow. Traces of a fulacht fiadh (Site 2) were uncovered at the southern boundary of the site; this area was left undisturbed. Three other areas of archaeological activity were excavated (Sites 1, 3 and 4). These archaeological features consisted of pairs of pits filled with charcoal-flecked gravelly clay (see Excavations 2011). They may have functioned as kilns. Site 1 has been dated to the Bronze Age; the date was based on a charcoal sample (Ref: UBA 21383: 2 sigma 1883-1693 BC) retrieved from the lower fill of a pit (F5). It is suggested that the other sites (3 and 4) also date from this period based upon the Bronze Age date from Site 1 and their proximity to the fulacht fiadh (Site 4).
No artefacts were retrieved from the pits, nor were macro fossil plant remains recovered from the newly discovered sites; however there was an abundance of charcoal. The new sites indicate that settlement activity occurred in the location over 3000-4000 years ago in the Middle Bronze Age.
Significant Bronze Age and other prehistoric artefacts were recovered during the River Barrow Drainage from 1928-1930s (O’Donovan, E. 1994). These include a basal looped bronze spearhead discovered just downstream from Srowland in neighboring Belview townland. A large enclosure site was discovered in Srowland townland through Geophysical Survey c. 250m to the north-east of the Waste Water Treatment Plant in 2007 (Ref: 07R0184). The site is as yet undated; at the time of its discovery it was suggested to be early medieval in date, however, a Middle Bronze Age date cannot be discounted. These proximal finds may provide a context for the archaeological material that was identified during the development of the water treatment plant.
Basal looped spearhead from Belville, near to Srowland.
Reference:
O’Donovan, E (1994) The Finds from the River Barrow and its Tributaries (2 Vols.), MA Thesis submitted to the National University of Ireland (UCD).
Edmond O’Donovan & Associates, 77 Fairyhill, Bray, Co. Wicklow
