The Historical Environment Viewer on archaeology.ie is a wonderful resource. Archaeological features can be sorted by category but they have no category covering stone stiles. This is because stiles are not considered as archaeological under the current pre-1700 definition of archaeological features. Hopefully when the Historic and Archaeological Heritage Bill 2023 is enacted, stiles will become a standalone category in the records.
As part of the Data Capture and Manipulation module of my Digital Mapping and GIS course last year, I was required to carry out a field survey. Having completed a Certificate in Irish Archaeology with ATU Sligo, I wanted to survey features that tied in with that course. I also wanted to use the survey to get back out on my bike on the quiet roads of County Kildare after a period of inactivity over the winter. The third factor in my decision-making process was that I wanted to collect a dataset that has not been previously gathered. Perhaps a fourth reason for choosing stone stiles for my survey is my curiosity – there must be something worth visiting on the other side of the wall if someone went to the bother of constructing a stile!
I completed the survey over the course of seven cycles between February 27th 2023 and April 3rd 2023. I cycled over 300km around Co Kildare and surveyed 27 stone stiles. I started the survey wanting to only survey cantilever type stiles. I came across some lovely stair type stiles on my travels so decided to include these also. As I discuss my project with friends and family, I learn of more stiles in the county and I find an odd one that I missed while out touring on my bike. If you know of any that I missed please let me know and I can add them.
Web map coming soon!
