County: Wicklow Site name: Kilbride, Arklow
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 23E0859
Author: Michael Greiner & Seán Shanahan; Shanarc Archaeology Ltd.
Site type: Pit
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 724299m, N 674553m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.807622, -6.156348
Archaeological test-excavations were carried out on 29-30 January 2024, on a greenfield site forming the proposed location of a residential housing development at Kilbride, Arklow, Co. Wicklow
The proposed development site comprises a c. 6-hectare portion of a wider c. 83-hectare greenfield site of which c. 40.5 hectares are considered for eventual development. The wider site is located within the townlands of Kilbride and Marsh. The tested area is located entirely within Kilbride townland. The wider site was previously subjected to an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) as well as an Archaeological Impact Assessment Report (AIA), which incorporated a geophysical survey (Survey Licence No. 19R0196).
The geophysical survey identified nineteen anomalies of archaeological potential, in and within close proximity to the proposed development area, and the AIA Report recommended that these potential features be subjected to archaeological testing.
In relation to the current development proposal, Condition 9 of a further information request from Wicklow County Council stipulated the requirement for the site to be subjected to archaeological test-trenching.
Test-excavations comprised the excavation of sixteen test-trenches, varying in length from 50m to 100m.
A number of the test-trenches were specifically targeted on anomalies detected during the earlier geophysical survey; none of the geophysical anomalies produced archaeological evidence or any other physical representations within the targeted test-trenches. The remaining trenches were generally targeted on key locations within the proposed development footprint.
Trench 1, located at the northern end of the proposed access road was the only trench to produce any evidence of archaeological activity. A small pit (1m x 0.8m) with a charcoal-rich fill was located within the trench, 15m from its south-western end.
Unit 39a, Hebron Business Park, Hebron Road, Kilkenny
