County: Kildare Site name: Racefield
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 21E0770
Author: James Hession
Site type: Ring-ditch/enclosure
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 677630m, N 705059m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.090473, -6.841057
A programme of archaeological test trenching was undertaken at Racefield, Co. Kildare. The site comprises eight agricultural fields located in Racefield townland, approximately 6.6 km southwest of the town of Kilcullen and 1.6 km west of the R418 road, Co. Kildare.
Test trenching followed a programme of geophysical survey undertaken across eight fields (Areas A-H) and consisted of a methodical trench array, targeting the previously identified geophysical anomalies in Areas A–H.
A total of 26 test trenches were excavated. The results established three archaeological sites (Racefield 1–3). Racefield 1 consisted of a ring-ditch/barrow or small enclosure (041) (c. 11m diameter) present in the northern half of Area E. Racefield 2 comprised a sub-circular enclosure (017) with internal features, including pits (021), (023), (025) and possible stake-holes (035), (037), (039) that was identified in the south-east corner of Area H. The third site, Racefield 3, was a second possible ring-ditch/barrow or circular enclosure (009)/(015) (c. 8m diameter), situated to the north of Racefield 2 in Area H.
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