County: Kilkenny Site name: Site 12-1 Baysrath
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 12E0416
Author: PATRICK WALSH
Site type: Bronze Age
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 651624m, N 638021m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.491152, -7.239830
Site 12-1 Rathduff Madden was discovered during monitoring of topsoil stripping for the Bord Gáis Networks Gas to Great Island scheme (above No. 334, 12E0356). Site 12-1 was located at the northern edge of the pipeline corridor directly adjacent to a settlement pond associated with the M9/M10. Archaeological investigations on the motorway at Bayrath 3 by Fintan Walsh, Irish Archaeological Consultancy, revealed a burnt mound at the location of the present settlement pond (Excavations 2007, No. 883, E3628 and Walsh 2012). Hence 12E0416 (Site 12-1 Baysrath) and E3626 (Baysrath 3) are two separate excavations of the same burnt mound.
The combined measurement of the mound from the two separate excavations was approximately 33.5m north-south by 15m and it was 0.58m deep. There was evidence for five shallow pits and an irregular shallow gully under the southern half of the mound, excavated under the current licence.
This site is set within a cluster of Bronze Age sites that have been excavated within the general area. Importantly, the burnt mound material excavated in 2007 was dated to the late Bronze Age (Walsh 2012) and these dates can be applied to the site here at Baysrath 12-1.
References:
Walsh, F, 2012, ‘N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford Scheme: Phase 4: Knocktopher to Powerstown – Archaeological Resolution, Final Report of Site AR056 E3628 Baysrath 3, Co. Kilkenny’, unpublished Irish Archaeological Consultancy report.
TVAS (IRELAND) LTD, AHISH, BALLINRUAN, CRUSHEEN, CO. CLARE
