Enclosure, Dunnstown, Co. Kildare

Co. Kildare |

Enclosures

Enclosure, Dunnstown, Co. Kildare

In a level field of improved pasture near Dunnstown in County Kildare, six small earthworks lie completely invisible to anyone walking the ground. No ridge, no hollow, no soil discolouration gives them away. The only record of their existence comes from an aerial photograph, on which the buried outlines of the enclosures emerge as cropmarks, the faint differential in how grass or grain grows above disturbed sub-soil betraying what centuries of ploughing and land improvement have otherwise erased.

The six enclosures, each roughly rectangular in form, are arranged in two parallel rows of three across an area measuring approximately 150 metres on its north-west to south-east axis and around 100 metres across. That regularity is quietly unusual. Solitary enclosures of this kind are common enough in the Irish archaeological record, often interpreted as early medieval farmsteads or stock enclosures, but six arranged with apparent order across a shared footprint suggests something more organised, possibly a small settlement cluster or a series of associated enclosures laid out with deliberate spatial logic. Whether they are broadly contemporary with one another or represent activity across different periods cannot be determined from cropmarks alone.

Rated 0 out of 5

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of Pete F
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Enclosure, Dunnstown, Co. Kildare. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 100 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement