County: Kildare Site name: Craddockstown North/Naas East
Sites and Monuments Record No.: n/a Licence number: 18E0148
Author: David Bayley & Muireann Ní Cheallacháin, IAC Ltd
Site type: Prehistoric and early medieval settlement features
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 689725m, N 718045m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.205254, -6.656905
A programme of test trenching was undertaken at Craddockstown North and Naas East, Naas, Co. Kildare in advance of a proposed residential development. Monitoring was initially requested as a condition planning by ABP (Planning Ref: PL 09.249006). However, due to the size of the previously undisturbed greenfield area within the site (c. 6.5ha), the developer commissioned a geophysical survey (Licence Ref.: 18R0034). This revealed the presence of a number of potential archaeological features, including a rectangular ditched enclosure and a number of possible barrows.
Testing was carried out to target the anomalies identified during the geophysical survey. A total of 35 trenches, measuring 1,156 linear metres, were excavated across the area of proposed development over the course of four days.
Five areas of archaeology were identified during the testing:
• Archaeological area 1: Rectangular enclosure and internal features, possible field system ditches, three curvilinear ditch features, two kilns.
• Archaeological area 2: Kiln, curvilinear ditch feature with internal pit and field system ditch.
• Archaeological area 3: Kiln and possible curvilinear ditch feature.
• Archaeological area 4: Hearth/kiln.
• Archaeological area 5: Hearth/kiln and curvilinear ditch feature.
It was agreed that the sites would be excavated in late 2018 under a reactivation of licence 18E0148 by Muireann Ní Cheallacháín.
IAC Ltd, Unit G1, Network Enterprise Park, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow
