Flat cemetery in Killadreenan

A series of cremation pits, post-holes and burnt deposits was uncovered during topsoil-stripping as part of the excavation of borrow-pit material for the construction of the N11 road. The site is in the townland of Killadreenan, Co. Wicklow, to the east of the proposed Kilmartin N11 interchange. During the excavation 1229 stone finds were recovered, most found in cremation pits. The finds consisted of 1200 struck and worked flint tools, including a double-ended scraper, thumbnail and round scrapers, a flint blade, a polished stone axe, a broken whetstone and fine prehistoric pottery sherds. These finds can be generally dated to the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age. The finds all point to a domestic habitation site, but the deposition of the finds with the cremated remains may suggest ritual activity. There were three areas of burning, but these features were heavily truncated by modern agricultural activity. The site did not appear to be the remains of a building, although the pits may have been reused post-holes. There were stake-holes in the eastern half of the site, possibly the remains of a fence. This is one of the largest cemeteries of its type in Ireland. The size of the site should be seen in the context of the large settlement distributed over this area, evidenced by the work of Fintan Walsh and the writer (Bennett 2004, 536; Bennett 2007, 485-6) Date of upload/revision: 02 October 2012