Excavation — miscellaneous in Ballyorrill

Situated on a slight S-facing slope. Monitoring of topsoil removal (E004646) during the construction phase of the M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy motorway in November 2016 identified archaeological features which were fully excavated (E004833) subsequently as Ballyorril 4. A fulacht fia (WX020-140002-) and three areas with archaeological features that were placed c. 30m apart and which can be combined were identified. One area consists of two pits, one of which (dims 0.7m x 0.52m; D 0.08m) was filled with a charcoal-flecked black clayey silt that produced six sherds of prehistoric pottery, while the second (dims 0.6m; x 0.5m; D 0.09m) was 13m to the S and had a fill of brown silty clay but produced no material. About 20m to the E were four pits, two post-holes and what is probably a kiln (dims 2.2m x 0.3-0.6m; D 0.1-0.26m). The pits varied from small (dims 0.77m x 0.3m; D 0.2m) to large (dims 2.8m x 1.2m; D 0.35m) and were filled mostly with silty clays. Eighteen sherds of prehistoric pottery were retrieved in this area. About 30m to the SW was an area with six pits. These are of similar size (dims c. 1m x 0.35-0.7m; D 0.1-0.3m) with one larger irregular pit (dims 2.6m x 1.65m; D 0.3m), which was re-cut once and in both phases it was filled with stones beneath a charcoal-flecked grey clay. Twelver sherds of pottery came from two of the pits. In this area was a charcoal production pit (L 3.28m; Wth 0.72m; D 0.14m) filled with a layer rich in charcoal sealed beneath a yellow clay layer. (Whitty and Kavanagh 2018, 10-20) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload; 5 November 2020