1986:55 - RAHEEN (BGE), Limerick

Features revealed on this site stretched right across the stripped portion of the corridor. Excavation was carried out after grading had taken place, but it was clear during excavation that the features were truncated, prior to grading.

The features consisted of two roughly opposing arcs of the double ditches, two of which were conjoined and two concentric. These stretched across the stripped corridor (c. 18m). The exterior edges of the latter were partially cut by a later, small ring-barrow. Three pits were also revealed within the area 'enclosed' by the ditches. A field bank and drain crossed the site cutting through all the ditches excavated.

The excavated area was restricted to a width of 14m owing to pipeline traffic. The constraints of time imposed by the oncoming phase of the construction teams meant that the area to the west of the features described was not excavated. However, removal of graded soil, under supervision, by machine did not reveal returning arcs for the large ditches excavated.

The conjoined ditches ran for 9m along the fence line, incurving towards the terminals. The inner ditch extended 2.4m beyond the external ditch. The ditches had a maximum width of 70cm and narrowed to 40cm in width in places. They were c. 20-45cm deep and appeared to have been truncated in antiquity. They were only distinguished as separate features after removal of the fill, when a ridge of undisturbed soil surviving to a maximum of 20cm in height was found to separate them at the base. Sherds of at least four relatively complete coarse pots were recovered from the fill, along with a fragment of a palstave mould.

A gap of 3m divided the two arcs of ditches.

The opposing 'arcs' of two concentric ditches, which ran almost at right angles to those described above, were investigated in two cuttings. They did not have a markedly curvilinear plan.

The inner ditch was traced for a distance of 11m, at which point it ran across the driving track. It had a maximum width of 2.55m and was 30cm deep where excavated. A quantity of coarse, undecorated pot sherds and fragments of animal bone were recovered from the three layers of fill. The outer edge of this feature was clipped by the ring-barrow.

The outer ditch ran 2m east of the inner ditch for a distance of 4.5m and was cut through by the ring-barrow at two points. It was 1.5m wide and had a maximum depth of 30cm. Several pot sherds were recovered from the fill at one end of the ditch which displayed a notable concentration of charcoal. Some very decayed fragments of animal bone were also recovered. The dissimilarity in width between these and the conjoined ditches is noteworthy, though the presence in both of similar pottery suggests contemporaneity.

The ring-barrow ditch had external dimensions of 4.45-4.80m in diameter with an internal diameter of 3.2-3.64m. No finds were recovered from the fill, nor were there any surviving features or archaeological deposits in the interior. The field bank and drain which crossed the site also cut across its north-western half.

The other features excavated on the site, north-west of the features described above and roughly 'enclosed' by the arcs of the larger ditches, were: a hearth site 1.48m x 1.27m with a depth of 13cm filled with heat-shattered stones; a pit 2.62m long, 60cm wide and 30cm deep with a sparsely charcoal flecked fill; a truncated pit 1.60m x 55cm, which survived to only 8cm in depth. The fill in depth contained flecks of cremated bone, and a rim and body sherd of coarse pottery were recovered.

Lying 24m east of the ring-ditch was a D-shaped pit.

It had a short curving extension which may have served as a drafting flue. The pit was 1m x 90cm and was 20cm deep. The 'flue' was 90cm long, tapering from 40cm in width and was 22cm deep. The fill was different in each feature, being largely unburnt in the possible flue and being heavily oxidised in the pit itself. Flat stones up to 22cm in size were not burnt and there were no finds.

5 St Catherine's Rd, Glenageary, Co. Dublin