Habitation site in Ballybeg (newcastle By.)

Excavation Licence No. 04E0039 This licence was issued in respect of features exposed during a monitored topsoil-strip over the area of a borrow pit adjacent to the route of the N11 Ashford-Rathnew bypass. Agreement was reached between the developer and the National Monuments Service that these features could be preserved in situ, covered with geotextile and sand prior to the total reinstatement of the field, having been lightly cleaned, planned and recorded. The features, in the main, would appear to represent aspects of a severely truncated prehistoric landscape. The most substantial remains are the traces of a subcircular foundation trench, 4.9m by 5m in diameter. The trench is likely to be quite shallow, given the level of truncation over this area as a result of deep ploughing. This feature would appear to represent the remains of a small, prehistoric house. The other features are far more ephemeral in nature, being largely small, amorphous spreads and deposits and occasional areas of localised burning. The absence of any diagnostic material from the site renders it difficult to date the activity (Bennett 2007, 475-6). Date of upload: 30 October 2012