County: Wexford Site name: Monart East 1
Sites and Monuments Record No.: n/a Licence number: E004786
Author: Sinclair Turrell, IAC Ltd
Site type: Burnt spread, troughs and timbers
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 694039m, N 641605m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.517696, -6.614405
Monart East 1 was identified as a result of archaeological monitoring of ground works during the construction stage of the M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy PPP Scheme. Monitoring was carried out in 18 previously untested areas under Excavation Registration Number E004646 and Ministerial Direction A054.
Monart East 1 comprised of a fulacht fiadh, with a burnt mound and two possible troughs recorded. A layer of natural peat overlain by grey silty sand were recorded beneath the burnt mound deposit. The burnt mound comprised charcoal-rich silty sand with heat-fractured stone. Two possible troughs had been cut through the silty sand layer and both were sealed beneath the overlying burnt mound.
The first trough was located on the north side of the burnt mound and contained two fills: a basal peat deposit beneath a grey marl clay. The second trough was situated south-east of the burnt mound and also contained two fills: a lens of charcoal that had washed through the overlying silty clay.
Two areas of waterlogged wood were noted, one of which, to the immediate east of the burnt mound, contained two fragments displaying possible evidence of working. The other deposit was deemed to be non-archaeological in formation. One lithic artefact, a possible hammer stone, was recovered during the excavation at Monart East 1 on the surface of the natural silt directly beneath the burnt mound deposit.
IAC Ltd, Unit G1, Network Enterprise Park, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow
