Burnt spreads of this kind are a recurring and somewhat puzzling feature of the Irish archaeological landscape, typically associated with fulacht fiadh activity, the remains of ancient outdoor cooking or industrial sites where stones were repeatedly heated and plunged into water-filled troughs. What makes this one quietly interesting is less what was found than what was not: the spread extended beyond the edges of the excavation, meaning its full extent remains unknown.

The site came to light in 2006 during road improvement works on the N11, the main route between Dublin and Wexford. Excavations carried out under Licence No. E3250, and published by Dehaene in 2009, revealed two pits and a ditch alongside the truncated burnt spread. Road schemes of this kind have become some of the most productive, if unglamorous, sources of archaeological discovery in Ireland, since they cut across the landscape in straight lines regardless of what lies beneath. Here, the machinery paused long enough to record what was there, though the boundary of the site remained unresolved.