2024:260 - Rathgoggan North, Charleville, Cork

The archaeological mitigation programme undertaken at Rathgoggan North has revealed a significant concentration of archaeological activity. During the excavation of Area 1, Area 2 and Area 3 (a, b & c), a total of 590 individual contexts including six burnt spreads, up to eight probable water boiling troughs and numerous individual pits, post- and stake-holes (including two potential flimsy structures) and their associated fills, as well as modern and early modern drainage and demesne related linear features were recorded.

Of greatest interest was Area 3 (c), located in the eastern portion of the development site, which contained a dense concentration of cremation pit activity which represented a ‘pit cemetery’ or ‘flat cemetery’ of probable Early to Middle Bronze Age date (2200-1200 BC). The excavation revealed a total number of 107 cremation-related pit features and three cremation-related deposits.

The area also contained six trough-like features, four in the vicinity of the cremation activity and two in the south-western portion of the area, as well as two burnt spreads. Artefacts in the form of a tanged chert arrowhead and sherds of prehistoric pottery were recovered from this area during the excavation.

The information which has been gained through the excavation of this site will not be fully understood until the completion of the post-excavation analyses (e.g. osteological, environmental, artefactual etc.). A comprehensive range of radiocarbon dates will be obtained from the samples taken during the excavation of the cremation area, as well as the site more generally.