Enclosure in Cappagh

In 2002, archaeological excavation (Licence no. 02E1002) of an early medieval enclosure was undertaken as part of the M4 Kinnegad-Enfield-Kilcock Motorway Scheme. A large, heart-shaped area (diam. 60-70m) was defined by a ditch (av. Wth 2.5m; D 1.3m), generally U-shaped in profile, but V-shaped in its southern sections, which produced large amounts of metallurgical waste, some antler picks, animal bone (some butchered) and abundant fragments of mollusc shell. Two earlier ditches were excavated in the eastern extent of the site: an inner ditch which may have been an earlier manifestation of the main ditch that was subsequently abandoned in favour of a larger enclosing element, and an outer, L-shaped ditch which may have defined an enclosed area, perhaps for livestock. The interior of the site produced evidence of three houses (KD004-039001-, KD004-039002- and KD004-039003-) and a metalworking site (KD004-039004-). (www.excavations.ie) Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 10 June 2011