Well in Ballybin (ratoath By., Cookstown Par.)

Located on a slight N-facing slope in a gently undulating landscape extending into a wet hollow at N. A geophysical survey (02R0051) by GBS Prospection of Area 22 ahead of a proposed N2 bypass for Ashbourne identified potential archaeological features in the vicinity of a rath (ME045-002----). Archaeological features were identified in testing (03E1327) by D. Bonner in 2003 and these were excavated from mid-April to mid-June 2004 within the road-take by L. McGowan (2009) under the same licence (excavations.ie 2004:1269). The testing and excavation revealed that many of the potential features were natural hollows but two waterholes or wells were excavated, while an industrial kiln and its associated pits was only partially excavated. An oval waterhole (dims 2.72m; 2.1m) that had been dug down to the fractured limestone bedrock (D 1.24m) had 14 separate fills. A sloping ramp (Wth c. 0.6m) descended around the side of the well W-N-E to allow access to the water. The primary fill was a deliberate backfill, perhaps with slippage, and the upper fills were silts interleaved with episodes of collapse. No artefacts were recovered but a charcoal sample from the primary fill produced a C14 date of 1210-910 cal. BC. (McGowan 2009, 15-16) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 21 December 2021