2014:213 - Hospital Street, Kildare (new Primary Care Centre), Kildare

Excavation of the site of a Medical Centre revealed 36 burials within an area measuring approximately 30m x 20m on a south-west facing hill-slope. 36 burial numbers were present, of which:
• 21 were relatively complete
• 8 were partially complete and
• 7 were ex-situ disarticulated spreads of bone perhaps from multiple sources and which appeared to be located on the path of the furrows running north-west/south-east across the site. Some may have been reburied bone. Most in-situ bone was fragmented or truncated to some degree. Disarticulated bone was collected from topsoil during stripping and clean-up. There were distinct clusters of burials, some with different orientation perhaps indicating different groups of burials over a number of generations. The burials were almost exclusively adult, with one older juvenile and other potential juveniles. No neonates were noted. The majority were supine extended burials with different placement of hands and arms. In two instances, an earlier burial was found beneath an identified burial. One burial was placed in a crouched position.
No metal objects were identified on the site. Sherds of glazed medieval local ware were recovered in topsoil and may suggest a 13th-14th-century date for these remains. Some post-medieval (18th- or 19th-century) artefacts were identified, generally in the location of the stone drain.
Post-excavation analysis and radiocarbon dates are in preparation.

Archer Heritage Planning, 8 Beat Centre, Stephenstown, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin.