What is recorded here

Kilcullenbridge holds twenty-two shallow pits where cremated people and broken pottery fell together, overlooked by a bend in the River Liffey. The small holes cluster across an open stretch of land rather than forming a marked grave, suggesting that memory worked through repetition instead of display. A house now rises above that forgotten kitchen of loss, while the river still turns past the place where human ash was set into the earth.

In 2001, archaeological monitoring (Byrne, M. Excavation Licence No. 01E0485 http://www.excavations.ie) of topsoil-stripping associated with a housing development on the N bank of the River Liffey at Kilcullen revealed a complex of ash deposits. The complex was slightly downslope of the highest area of the development site and overlooked a bend in the river. Initial investigations indicated the presence of cremated bone on the surfaces of the deposits. Consequent excavation of the deposits revealed 22 pits, ranging from 0.05m to 0.22m deep. The pits were spread over an area measuring 8m by 7m, which was not enclosed. Preliminary analysis of the pit fills indicated that almost all contained fragments of cremated bone. In addition, some pottery fragments and a small flint arrowhead were recovered from the fills. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 10 January 2013

Pit-burial in Kilcullenbridge is a prehistoric burial dating to the Early Bronze Age (c. 2000–1500 BCE). Its significance lies in providing evidence of early funerary practices and human activity in the River Liffey valley during the Bronze Age.

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