By ticking "I agree" below you are agreeing to the use of cookies and to the terms and conditions of use as outlined above. These are also available on the End User Agreement page. For more information see our Privacy Policy.
Downloaded assets must be used in accordance with the DRI End User Terms and Conditions
Total number of assets (1)
This browser does not support viewing this file type. Please download the asset to view.
This final report presents the results of archaeological investigations carried out on behalf of Kildare County Council as part of Archaeological Services Contract No. 4 ? Resolution, Prumplestown to Powerstown, prior to the commencement of construction on this section of the N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford Scheme: Kilcullen to Powerstown. The work was undertaken under National Monuments Section Registration Number E2610, in the Townland of Ballybannon, Co. Carlow. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, following consultation with the National Museum of Ireland, directed that Linda Hegarty of Headland Archaeology Ltd should proceed with archaeological resolution. Archaeological testing carried out under N9/N10 Kilcullen to Waterford Scheme: Kilcullen to Powerstown; Archaeological Services Contract No. 3 – Test Excavations, Prumplestown to Powerstown under Ministerial Direction Number A021/052 on this site in 2005 identified a possible prehistoric settlement consisting of post?holes, a small curvilinear feature and a possible pit containing two sherds of prehistoric pottery. Another possible pit or posthole in this group contained a fill associated with prehistoric pottery and carbonised nut shell (Hackett and Hughes, 2004). Full archaeological resolution was conducted on this site on 21 June ? 20 May 2006. This revealed multi period activity at Ballybannon. Specialist analysis of the lithic assemblage recovered suggests a period of Mesolithic activity. A series of pits dated to the Early Neolithic and possibly associated with settlement were uncovered. Bronze Age activity included pits and a cremation cemetery. One grave pit contained an upstanding funerary urn. Four ring?ditches appeared to be associated with the use of this site as a cemetery. Funerary activity continued in the Iron Age with a cremation burial returning an Iron Age radiocarbon date. Additional Iron Age activity included burnt pits and cereal drying kilns. A number of miscellaneous features were recorded. A post medieval phase was represented by a number of field boundary ditches and cultivation furrows. A final phase of modern pits was also identified. A program for monitoring of topsoil stripping took place in July and August 2006, in areas that had previously been inaccessible for logistical reasons. This involved the removal of topsoil by machine under archaeological supervision and the identification of sites for resolution. One such site was located in proximity to the site at Ballybannon and incorporated an adjacent site (E2609). This was Monitoring Area 16 (Figure 1) which is reported on in the final report for site E2609.