County: Kildare Site name: Hughstown
Sites and Monuments Record No.: KD038-025001 Licence number: 15E0322
Author: William O'Brien
Site type: Hillfort
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 684004m, N 688930m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.944585, -6.750119
In July 2016 a second season of sample excavation was conducted at the prehistoric hillfort of Hughstown, Co. Kildare. The investigation of this site is part of a research project on prehistoric hillforts in Ireland, based in University College Cork and funded by the Irish Research Council. This involved the excavation of a single trench across the third and fourth enclosing elements of this now-levelled hillfort. The location of both trenches was determined by magnetic gradiometry survey. Excavation of the third enclosure (Trench 2) confirmed the presence of a small ditch, with a slot trench on the inside. The latter contained a large amount of charcoal from the burning of wood that may have been part of a palisade. The excavation of the fourth enclosing element (Trench 3) revealed a large ditch, but no trace of an accompanying bank. There are no significant finds from either trench, though samples of charcoal were recovered from primary contexts for radiocarbon dating.
Department of Archaeology, University College Cork
