Ring-ditch in Harlockstown

Situated at the crest of a N-facing slope down to a small W-E tributary on the S side of the Broad Meadow River. This monument was first identified in a geophysical survey (02R0051) by GBS Prospection in advance of the N2 Finglas – Ashbourne road and by-pass, and confirmed in archaeological testing (03E1526) by M. McKinstry and L. McGowan of Testing Area 19. Archaeological excavation under the same licence from January to June 2004 by D. J. O’Connor at Site 19 recorded a complex of prehistoric and early historic features (excavations.ie 2004:1249). The Late Neolithic / Early Bronze Age is represented by some pits with appropriate lithics, and a trench and post-hole, the latter two with Beaker pottery. This ditch-barrow, consisting of a circular area (diam. c. 30m E-W; c. 27.5m N-S) defined by a continuous fosse (Wth c. 3.2m; D 0.55m), was created around a central pit with the cremated remains of an adult male. This had its own marker in a post-hole with Beaker pottery that produced a C14 date of 2400-2130 cal. BC. The ditch was filled with various layers of silts and clay, with lenses of iron-panning suggestive of periods with stagnant water. A sample from the base of the ditch produced a C14 date of 2140-1820 cal. BC and one from the middle a date of 1960-1690 cal. BC. A large pit (dims 3m x 2m plus; D 0.56m) pre-dating the barrow was cut by its fosse at NE, but its only find, a deer antler, was in a later re-cut. At a late stage the silted ditch was re-cut with a narrower trench (Wth 1m; D 0.3m), only clearly visible at SW. Two other pits with cremated remains and two pits with some finished flint blades and debitage probably also relate to the ditch barrow although not actually within it. Two crouched inhumations with Bowl Food Vessels, each marked with its own post and one of which produced a C14 date of 2120-1870 cal. BC, were inserted into the barrow. An oval pit towards the NE edge of the barrow was originally stone-lined and contained the crouched inhumation of an adult lying on its left side with the Food Vessel behind the head. Another stone-lined pit at the NW edge of the barrow also had an adult inhumation, which was crouched and lying on its left side. The skull rested on a large stone and the Food Vessel was behind the skull. In addition the cremated remains of a juvenile that were spread within the ditch fill could be redeposited from the interior as the first burial disturbed earlier pits. The stray femur of an adolescent that was found redeposited in a later context might also be from this phase. At least two other pits could be related to this phase although not directly linked to features that positively are. (O’Connor 2008, 21-27) See the attached plan (N at top left) from O'Connor (2008, fig. 10) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 17 December 2021 O’Connor, D. J. 2008 N2 Finglas – Ashbourne Road Scheme. Report on archaeological excavation of Site 19 Harlockstown, County Meath. Licence No. 03E1526. Unpublished report, CRDS (V 1 text)