2024:621 - Poulgour 1 & 2, Kilkenny

Archaeological Management Solutions (AMS) were engaged by Kilkenny and Carlow Education Board to undertake archaeological excavation as a condition of a planning permission.

The site contains no Recorded Monuments/recorded archaeological sites or sites of architectural heritage interest. An Archaeological and Architectural Heritage Desk-based Assessment of the development was initially carried out by Red Tobin (2021). Subsequent archaeological testing was carried out by Red Tobin for AMS in April 2024 as a condition of planning  Testing revealed a number of possible archaeological features, including a burnt mound spread (see Tobin 2024, licence: 24E0063).

This phase of work included two additional test trenches, in previously inaccessible areas, and the full excavation of four individual archaeological areas (Area 1–4). Within these areas, two individual burnt mound spreads were identified in testing, which represent two previously undiscovered archaeological sites, labelled Poulgour 1 and Poulgour 2 respectively. Excavation of Area 2 and 3 revealed nothing of archaeological significance.

Excavation in Area 1 (Poulgour 1) revealed eight earth-cut troughs below an oval burnt mound of fire-cracked stone and charcoal that was partly denuded by later truncation. Finds recovered included a flint lithic and two possible stone objects.

Excavation of Area 4 (Poulgour 2) revealed two earth-cut features, one a deep spring-fed well and a rectangular trough, plus an associated informal hearth, below a roughly circular burnt mound of fire-cracked stone in a silt and charcoal matrix also partly denuded by later truncation. Animal bone plus worked and unworked wood were recovered from this site.

Both sites were partially truncated by a series of large post-medieval/early modern linear drainage gullies that extended across the site, that post-date the field boundary. An early modern flood-prevention reclamation deposit, measuring up to 0.7m thick, was imported to raise the ground level in both Areas 1 and 4.

Post-excavation is ongoing, and further monitoring of groundworks for this development was recommended.