2017:669 - Ballinahinch 1, Ashford, Wicklow

The site at Ballinahinch 1 was located on a south-facing slope, overlooking the Vartry River, within 5km of the Irish Sea coastline and was excavated in advance of residential development. It was discovered following a geophysical survey (licence no. 17R0073) and a test-excavation (licence no. 17E0195). An irregularly shaped cutting, c. 35m x 25m, was opened. A cluster of four pits and an isolated post-hole to the north-west were excavated. Two of the pits, C.09 and C.13, contained Beaker pottery sherds, of both fine and domestic ware, with flecks of charcoal present in all the fills. Numerous pieces of struck flint e.g. scrapers, flakes, and a core, were recovered from the fill of C.09 and also in the clean-back of the site. The site was traversed by a series of modern linear features, probable plough furrows, and these highlighted the heavily truncated nature of the surviving archaeology. Several concentrations of charcoal-stained soil were initially identified in the clean-back of the site but upon excavation proved not to be features. No pattern indicating a structure is apparent from these pit features and their fills appeared to have accumulated naturally though the frequency of artifacts in pit C9 suggests deliberate deposition in that case. The features suggest some form of settlement activity, indicated by the pottery and lithic artifacts. A radiocarbon date of 2470-2210 cal. BC 2ẟ was returned from a piece of hazel charcoal from the fill C10 of the pit C09.

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