Burnt mound in Kilmessan

Located in a fairly level landscape with a canalised SSE-NNW section of the River Skane c. 15m to the E. Archaeological testing (04E1499) by R. Tobin on the line of a sewer pipe identified an area of broken and burnt stones (excavations.ie 2004:1236). It was subsequently excavated (05E0075) within the wayleave as Kilmessan 1 by the same archaeologist, although a substantial part of the monument survives unexcavated to the E. A deposit of burnt and heat-shattered stones in a charcoal-enriched soil formed the mound (dims 8m x 4m plus; max. T 0.18m) at the SE edge of the excavated area. Six small stakeholes in the mound were concentrated at the E edge of the excavation, but no pits or troughs were recorded beneath it. The mound was sealed by thin layers of sandy silt with some small stones, which in turn was covered by a larger layer of burnt mound material (dims 9.25m x 4.15m plus; T 0.3m) although it contained less stone. A sample of cherrywood charcoal from the upper mound produced a C14 date of 1260-1010 cal. BC. About 5m to the NW a second mound (dims 5.2m x 3m; T 0.23m) of broken and burnt stone was based on a grey-brown silty layer (T 0.15m) that preserved plant fibers and organic material, but this mound did not conceal any pits or other features and it may be a separated part of the larger mound. The E edge of the smaller mound was cut by a silted SE-NW palaeo-channel (max. Wth 2.35m; max. D 0.58m; L 28m plus), whose fills contained silts and were sterile apart from some animal bones, but it is likely to post-date the burnt mounds. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 26 February 2021

Burnt mound in Kilmessan is a Bronze Age ritual or industrial site, characterised by heat-shattered stones and associated with water management or ceremonial activity. Its significance lies in providing evidence of early land use and technological practices in the region.