Excavation

Identified in centre-line testing (E4110) in advance of the M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy road scheme and set aside for resolution as Drumgold 3 (Hardy et al. 2010, 91-3). It is situated on a gentle SW-facing slope with a SE-NW stream c. 160m to the SW. It was excavated (E4198) by D. Gallagher who uncovered a complex of pits and post-holes in a concentrated area (dims 25m NW-SE; 25m NE-SW). Two of the pits were cremation burials (dims 0.59m x 0.58m; D 0.09m: 0.45m x 0.43m; D 0.05m), but most pits were larger (dims c. 0.5m x. 0.5m; D 0.24m to 2.85m x 1.5m; D 0.64m) and contained a lot of prehistoric lithics and ceramics. Three conjoined pits may have formed a kiln, but the post-holes produced no discernible pattern. A geophysical survey suggests that other features are in the vicinity and it may be within a large enclosure (diam. c. 100m). The ring-ditch (WX026-082----) is c. 85m to the SE. (Hardy and Taylor 2012; Gallagher 2013) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 29 November, 2013