Barrow — ditch barrow in Rath (ratoath By., Cookstown Par.)

Situated at the top of a SW-facing slope with a low ridge extending off to the NW and a small W-E canalised stream or ditch c. 240m to the SW. Archaeological excavation (03E1214) by H. Schweitzer between March and October 2004 in advance of the northern section of the N2 by-pass around Ashbourne on site 27 involved the complete excavation of six areas numbered from the S with Area 6 on the NE side of the original N2 road. Features recorded in Area 5 include two completely excavated ring-ditches (ME039-014----; ME039-015----) but only the SW half of this third barrow was excavated, the rest being cut by the present N2 road. (Schweitzer 2009, 22) This consists of a circular area (int. diam. c. 13m; ext. diam. 15.8m) defined by a continuous U-shaped ditch (Wth of top 1.45m; D 0.45m) with a stony base, but the ditch had been re-cut once. The primary fills of silt, sand and clay contained occasional pieces of burnt bone. The upper fills were similar but had greater amounts of both charcoal and burnt bone. Finds from the re-cut level included three hammer-stones, the point of a stone ard, a flint blade, a stone mould, lumps of slag and fragments of iron, including ring-loops and fragments of moulds (ibid. 37). No concentrations of human bone were noted, and nor was there evidence of a covering mound or an outer bank (ibid. 23). Two pits within and six in the vicinity are probably associated with its use, and many of these contained some fragments of burnt bone, although articulated animal bone was also present in one of the pits (Schweitzer 2009, 22-5). Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 3 March 2021