Archaeological Excavation Report

Medieval town walls and cemetery

This report comprises the Final Report of excavations undertaken by Eachtra Archaeological Projects along the line of the proposed Castledermot Sewerage Scheme in 2004. Kildare County Council proposed to upgrade the sewerage system in Castledermot village running from the Lerr River to the south along Abbey St. and Main St. to Skenagun to the north. The present town contains extensive archaeological remains, both upstanding and subsurface, of the earlier Medieval town (KD040-002).

Therefore in 2002, an archaeological assessment of the proposed line of the sewerage trench was carried out (Byrne 2000). This was followed by a programme of test excavations (Lynch 2002). The results of this work led to a decision to archaeologically resolve the line of the proposed pipe trench in advance of commencement of construction works. Eachtra Archaeological Projects excavated the line of the proposed trench between June and December 2004 under excavation licence number 04E0750.

While the excavated trench was narrow, it offered a lengthy cross-section of the Medieval and Post-Medieval town. The excavation revealed a number of facets of the town during these periods including the Medieval town walls and a cemetery. Following archaeological resolution of the trench, it was backfilled to be opened at a future date for the insertion of the sewerage pipes.

The defences revealed indicated a development from concentric ditches to the addition of town walls with the subsequent disuse of the earlier ditches. It is likely that the external ditches and the town wall were contemporaneous for at least some time. The layout of these ditches most likely reflected upon the design of the town wall, particularly the location of the gateways. It was well defended and considered strategically important and a centre for administration for the area.

Furthermore, the ditches identified both north and south of the town wall, appeared to dictate the position of the religious houses. The role of the town as a religious centre continued from the Early Medieval period and expanded with two more foundations. They provided both medical and religious services until the end of the Medieval. The market place survives today by name only. However, the variety of goods available indicates a vibrant and busy town. As well as the town, the market also reflects on the hinterland which also supplied the market.

The evidence relating to the economy of Castledermot highlights the importance of self sufficiency in the Medieval period. Local pottery and abundant agriculture products indicate this. The trade routes
appear to have stabilised into the Post-Medieval period with greater quantities and varieties of pot-
tery. The diet of the townspeople seemingly changed little between the 13 th and 17 th centuries, relying heavily on cattle, sheep, pigs, wheat, barley and oats. Metal, both artefacts and waste from processing, again suggests a dependence of local smithing and the evidence of secondary produce from the faunal record compliments this. Although the excavated trench was a narrow transect of the Castledermot, the information recovered in this investigation has furthered the knowledge of the town during the Medieval and Post-Medieval periods and supports the general corpus of knowledge of Irish Medieval towns achieved to date. Castledermot was typically an inland, walled Medieval town of moderate standing, which fluctuated in importance through time.

Authors: Aidan Harte and Aine Richardson

Archaeological Excavation Report

Five fulachta fiadh, a ring ditch with cremation burial, two Medieval iron working areas and a prehistoric site with evidence of copper working

The development site was a green field site, used for pasture for horses belonging to the Equestrian Centre, located in the western suburbs of Killarney town, to the north of the N72 linking Killarney to Killorglin. Killarney National Park is located to the south of the site. Ballydowny is bordered to the north by Groin townland and the development site holds panoramic views of Tomies Mountain and the Magillycuddy Reeks to the south-west.

Nine areas were excavated within the proposed development site. This included the excavation of five fulacht fiadh together with their associated hearths and troughs, a ring ditch with a cremation burial and the remains of two Medieval iron working areas and a prehistoric site with evidence of copper working. The radiocarbon results show occupation in these areas from the Neolithic period, through the Bronze Age, Iron Age and up to the Early Medieval period. The excavation of these new sites highlights the concentration of archaeological monuments, particularly fulacht fiadh, in this area north of Lough Leane.

Authors: Jacinta Kiely and Niamh O’Callaghan

Re-Framing the Neolithic

The UCD Humanities Institute of Ireland is hosting a one-day seminar which aims to capture the changes in traditional views of the Irish Neolithic that have occurred in recent years and to highlight the scientific approaches behind many of these shifts in knowledge.

Saturday 7 August 2010

Venue: H204, HII Seminar Room, University College Dublin

Programme:

09:45            Welcome and introduction

Environment and subsistence

10:00 Climate change and the Neolithic in North Mayo
Graeme Warren, Naomi Holmes & Steve Davis, University College Dublin

10:25 Cultivating societies: assessing the evidence for agriculture in Neolithic Ireland
Meriel McClatchie, Nicki Whitehouse, Phil Barratt, Rowan McLaughlin & Paula Reimer - Queen’s University Belfast; Rick Schulting & Amy Bogaard - University of Oxford; Sue Colledge - University College London; Rob Marchant - University of York

10.50 New insights into the Neolithic in Britain and Ireland through organic residue analysis
Lucy Cramp, University of Bristol

11:15            Additional Q&A/Tea and coffee

Migration

11:45 Title tbc
Ron Pinhasi, University College Cork

12:10 “Grey waters bright with Neolithic argonauts”? The western seaways of Britain / eastern seaways of Ireland, c. 5000-3500 BC
Duncan Garrow, University of Liverpool; Fraser Sturt, University of Southampton

12:35 Re-framing the migration debate: mobile farmers, enterprising hunters and social change from isotope evidence
Thomas Kador, University College Dublin

13:00            Lunch

Monuments

14:00 Solid bits in the soup. Radiocarbon dating programmes for aspects of the southern British Neolithic and the Bayesian analysis of their results
Frances Healy, Cardiff University

14:25 The long and the short of it: new dates on human bone from court tombs and passage tombs
Rick Schulting, University of Oxford

14:50 Contemplating darkness: engaging with caves in the Irish Neolithic
Marion Dowd, Institute of Technology Sligo

15:15            Additional Q&A/Tea and coffee

Craft

15:40 Stonecraft in the Irish Neolithic - past perceptions and new insights
Farina Sternke, University of Glasgow; Peter Woodman, University College Cork

16:05 A review of the context of early Neolithic ceramics in Ireland
Eoin Grogan, consultant archaeologist

16:30 Arts and crafts: dynamism, conservatism and representation in the Irish passage tomb tradition
Robert Hensey, NUI Galway

16:55            Final questions and closing comments

17:15            End of seminar

Further Info: www.ucd.ie/hii/events/events2009-2010

Registration: hii@ucd.ie

Archaeological Test Excavation Report

Proposed farm access trackway

Two main areas of high archaeological significance were identified during the testing of the proposed route option A. These were a sub rectangular enclosure and the upstanding enclosure elements of the ringfort.
The outer bank and ditch of the ringfort are still intact to a large degree and are visible on the surface within the CPO line. The area is heavily overgrown with mature and semi-mature trees and a dense understorey of secondary growth. Despite this, and despite having been truncated by the insertion of a trackway cutting through the outer bank and the construction of a stone revetment and drain on its southern side, the outer enclosing elements of the ringfort are to a large degree extant.
The insertion of a modern trackway in this location would have a severe negative impact on the northern enclosing elements of the ringfort.

Authors: Mick Drumm and John Tierney

Archaeological Excavation Report

Neolithic house and an Early Bronze Age pit

Three phases of archaeological activity were recorded on the site. The earliest phase is a Neolithic house and associated features within Area ІІ. An Early Bronze Age pit was located in Area І some 70m south of the house site. The final phase of activity related to Post-Medieval agricultural practices and included a back-filled ditch within Area ІІ.

Recent infrastructural development has increased the amount and geographic distribution of Neolithic house sites in Ireland but this site is important on a regional level given that the only other excavated example of this site type in County Cork was at Barnagore, along the route of the Ballincollig Bypass.

Both of these Cork examples produced essentially the same radiocarbon results (cal BC 3940-3620 at Barnagore and cal BC 3928-3655 from Gortore) and they represent the oldest known houses in the county. In the north Cork area there is quite widespread evidence for Neolithic activity; a single pit at Fermoy (05E0078), located c. 3km to the south of Gortore along the route of the main road, produced twelve sherds of a Middle Neolithic Globular bowl, and another site at Curraghprevin (c.12 km south of Gortore) produced Western Neolithic (Early Neolithic) pottery and a radiocarbon date of 3090-2580 BC (Late Neolithic). This evidence, combined with the Early Bronze Age date and the Beaker pottery from Area I at Gortore, demonstrate an element of continuity in the vicinity over an extended period of time.

Author: Julianna O’Donoghue

Archaeological Excavation Report

Fulacht Fiadh

The site at Scartbarry has been identified as a Late Bronze Age burnt mound where hot stone technology was used but there is no definite evidence from this site to indicate the specific purpose of heating stones and water in the area; the technology could have been utilised in a variety of processes from cooking and bathing to fulling, felting, boat building and many other industrial processes. The site is just one of many similar monuments that have been discovered in the general area in recent years and it contributes to the widespread evidence for use of hot stones and water in the area in prehistory.

Authors: John Tierney & Penny Johnston

Archaeological Excavation Report

Ring ditch

Two distinct features were recorded on the western and eastern side of the route of the N8 during topsoil striping prior to the construction of the temporary realignment of the R614. Site A a Bronze Age / Iron Age ring ditch was located to the west of the N8 and Site B an Early Bronze Age enclosure was located to the east in Ballybrowney Lower.
Site A has been identified as a ring-ditch with an internal diameter of 4.25m. Cremated human bone was recorded in the fills of the ring ditch. It is likely to be associated with the large Bronze Age/Iron Age site on the route of the N8 to the north-east which was excavated by E. Cotter in 2003. The site included four enclosures, three circular houses and a medieval corn-drying kiln. The site was truncated by several levelled field boundaries, probably 18th in origin (Cotter 2004, 38).
Site B was a continuation of an Early Bronze Age enclosure partially excavated by E.Cotter in 2003. As it was not going to be disturbed it was not excavated but recorded, planned and covered.

Author: Fiona Reilly