2013:230 - Bishopsland, Ballymore Eustace, Kildare

Excavation was carried out at a site in Bishopsland in advance of the construction of a sludge treatment facility at the Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant. Prior to excavation, and as part of the planning process, Dublin City Council had previously engaged Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd. to carry out an Archaeological Appraisal (2007) followed by Geophysical Survey (08R0031) and test excavation (2010:395, 10E0102) of the area to be impacted on by the new development. The test excavation report concluded that excavations required for the proposed new sludge treatment plant development would result in the removal of all archaeological features within the footprint and recommended full excavation across the development.

The excavation was undertaken on behalf of Dublin City Council between 24 June and 2 August 2013. Excavation revealed a concentration of activity within the western portion of the site, north-east of bowl barrow KD029-051. Archaeological features included pits and posts centred on hearths and a number of curvilinear gullies one of which appears to have been a small ring-ditch. Kilns and a metalworking furnace were also excavated across the site. Post-excavation analysis is on-going, however, based on the sample and artefact assemblage for the site, it appears primarily to represent domestic or settlement activity, which would mainly date to the Bronze Age. Some possible Neolithic activity was also identified  based on pottery sherds recovered from some of the pits.

A possible Iron Age or early medieval metalworking furnace was identified that was cut by a later linear ditch, which had been recut twice. A curvilinear feature to the east of the site may be contemporary with the Neolithic or Bronze Age activity. It was cut by a later linear ditch. The entire site was truncated by agricultural furrows.

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