Road — road/trackway in Roestown (ratoath By.)

While the large enclosure, rath and burial ground are preserved under introduced soil in a green area all the available external area was excavated (15E0125) under the direction of S. McGlade in 2018-19 (excavations.ie 2019:474). A number of paths, noted as metaled surfaces, relate to the circular rath and its associated enclosures. Many were short and provided access across individual silted ditches, but two of the longest are NE of the rath and are directly connected with its use, its N annex and the kilns in this area. The longest path (1) approached from the NNE (L 120m plus), slipped between two of the kilns just E of the N annexe and developed into a paving (dims c. 16m N-S; c. 9m E-W) in the angle between the annexe and the fosse of the large enclosure to the SE. From this point the path followed the fosse around to the E and off the excavated area. Spurs led from it over the re-cut of a defining ditch into the N annexe and over the fosse of the large enclosure at E into the interior, although the precise relationship of this spur with the long path is not known as the spur seems to connect the burial ground with the external structures. This long path was truncated by the latest iteration of the large WNW-ESE boundary ditch just outside the N edge of the N annexe but it must have bridged earlier versions as this ditch was present throughout the existence of the N annexe. The path was well established with a gully added to its W side at the N end. (McGlade 2020, vol. 1, 90-94) Path 3 ran N-S (L c. 25m) just W of the NE focus of the cereal-drying kilns and had a drain beneath its surface that did not extend to its S end but did continue outside the excavation to the N. At its S end the path turned W (L c. 50m) along the silted WNW-ESE boundary ditch to the NE corner of the N annexe where it ran over its silted ditch into the interior. This section of the path was cut by later re-cuts of the boundary ditch but it overlies Kiln 7 and it is later than the long Path 1. Path 6, at the W side of the large enclosure, was set into the subsoil in two sections (total L 10m plus; Wth 2.2m) but it was truncated by the ditch of the SW annexe and the last phase of the W annexe ditch. (McGlade 2020, vol. 1, 94-95, 217-8) See the attached illustration from McGlade (2920, P 90) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 3 May 2022