Ring-ditch in Coolnahorna

Identified in centre-line testing (E4110) in advance of the M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy road scheme, and set aside for resolution as Coolnahorna 3 (Hardy et al. 2010, 113). It is situated on a slight E-facing slope at the bottom of a NE-SW ridge that rises over it to the NW. It was fully excavated (E4239) by B. Sutton when the ditch-barrow was recorded as a subcircular area (int. dims c. 4.3m E-W; c. 3.95m N-S: ext. dims 5.4m E-W; 4.8m N-S) defined by a fosse (Wth c. 0.5-0.75m; D 0.13-0.29m). A collection of boulders on the perimeter at E appear to be natural but they obscure the fosse in this area (L c. 2-3m). A single cremation was in the ditch fill at S, but charcoal-rich deposits formed its upper fills, which produced fragments of a possible ear-ring and metal slag. There was no central feature but a cremation (diam. 0.18m; D 0.08m) with a blue glass bead was inserted into the ditch fill at S, and there was a cremation pit (diam. 0.34m; D 0.17m) with three fragments of copper-alloy pins and a stone bead just 1m to the S. Another cremation pit (dims 0.7m x 0.66m; D 0.18m) was 8m W of the barrow and a third (dims 1.04m x 0.77m; D 0.15m) was c. 10.5m to the N amongst four other equally large pits, two post-holes and some stake-holes. There were other isolated pits, some of which might be considered as cremation burials. Many of the pits produced sherds of prehistoric pottery, and in total about 54 sherds were recovered. The habitation site (WX020-084----) is c. 175m to the SW. (Hardy 2012; Sutton 2013) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 28 November, 2013