County: Mayo Site name: Kilbree Lower 1
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E004730
Author: Joe Nunan
Site type: Iron-working pits
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 505838m, N 785864m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.813768, -9.429856
At Kilbree Lower 1 a series of features including charcoal-filled pits containing iron slag, a number of stone-filled elongated pits and other possible smaller pits and numerous furrows were identified. Two large charcoal-filled pits (F34) and (F36) were excavated, one of which produced a large quantity of iron slag within the fill. One of these pits (F34) was oval in plan and measured 3.85m by 2.7m with a depth of 0.6m. The second pit (F36) was sub-oval in plan and measured 4.14m by 2.77m with a depth of 0.47m. Two possible wells were also exposed to the east of these features. A total of 26 soil and environmental samples were taken from the features on this site. Radiocarbon analysis of a charcoal sample recovered from one of the pits during testing returned a date of AD1292-1401 placing the site in the late medieval period.
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