KILCULLEN: 22 May 2001: by Brian Byrne. An ancient burial site discovered during excavations for a housing development at Kilcullen is being investigated by archaeologist Martin Byrne, pictured above planning out the site with his assistant Robert Brown.
The find of approximately 20 cremation pits in what was formerly known as Phil Lalor's Field was made during groundworks preparation for a 180-plus housing development led by local businessman Brendan O'Connell.
The archaeologists, based at Athgarvan, trowelled back the surface soil on the site yesterday and will make further investigations for the rest of this week.
So far, no pottery shards or other artifacts which would give a clearer picture of the age of the find have been found. But it is possible the burial ground dates back to Neolithic times. Its location on the locally highest point of land overlooking a bend in the River Liffey also points to the site having a ritual significance.
The archaeologists intend to extend the site over the next few days to see whether it goes further. If it proves to be Neolithic, it is just the latest of a series of 'digs' which have taken place in the Kilcullen area in recent years. One of the more significant was at the Kilsaran Concrete site at Silliot Hill, and another has been done recently at nearby Corballis.
"There's a lot of archaeological work going on in Ireland at the moment, so much so that there are not enough archaeologists around to do the work," says Martin Byrne. "All these linear developments, like motorways, are uncovering major sites. Archaeologists from abroad are all being attracted in, both by good money and by really good archaeology to be done. I was on one site the other day in Louth, and it was like a United Nations."
The increasing number of sites being uncovered has also led to the larger local authorities, such as Cork, employing full-time archaeologists either on contract or staff.
©2001brianbyrne/knn