2019:092 - Powerscourt Demesne, Parknasillogue, Wicklow

Excavations were undertaken at a proposed residential development located within the townland of Powerscourt Demesne, near Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow. Excavation followed on from an impact assessment carried out by Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd (IAC) in 2018, which included the results of a geophysical survey and two programmes of test trenching (licence 18E0045).

The geophysical survey (Licence Ref.: 18R0026) concluded that there was a potential tri-vallate enclosure located on the upper slope of the site. Testing identified three concentric circular ditches along with some additional exterior features. Excavation of the features identified in testing, directed by Muireann Ní Cheallacháin for IAC, was carried out under a reactivation of licence 18E0045. Monitoring and excavation under an extension to this licence recorded the remains of additional features including three pits, a possible post-hole and a small spread.

The archaeological remains recorded in Powerscourt Demesne townland comprised of a large tri-vallate ring barrow with five pits and two charcoal-rich spreads. The tri-vallate ring barrow consisted of an inner circular ditch, a middle penannular ditch with a smaller opposing ditch and a large outer penannular ditch. The inner ditch surrounded a gently sloping internal area that measured 7m in diameter and contained no sub-surface features of archaeological significance. The gaps of the middle and outer penannular ditches were not aligned. The larger middle ditch had a large 18m-wide gap at the west, within which the short middle ditch was located, while the outer ditch had a smaller 7m-wide gap at the south-west. There is evidence for possible re-use of a section of both the inner ditch and the larger middle ditch at the south-east. Four non-cremated human remains (DSK1–4) and some prehistoric pottery sherds (‘Pot 1–Pot 3') were located within the possible re-cuts and may suggest later discrete re-use of the site in the form of secondary deposition of non-cremated human remains within the barrow.

The location of the five small pits suggests that they are not contemporary with the barrow as they would have been situated beneath the external banks of the middle and outer ditches. Four of the pits contained charcoal-rich material while one may contain cremated human bone. They may represent continuation of use of the ritual site after the banks were levelled and the ditches were backfilled. The two charcoal-rich spreads may represent pits that were heavily disturbed by ploughing activity. The additional features found during monitoring have also been interpreted as continuation of use of the site.

Post-excavation analyses are ongoing and a fully-illustrated final report on the results of the excavation, including specialist information on dating and finds, will be forthcoming in due course.

c/o IAC Ltd, Unit G1 Network Enterprise Park, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow