1988:60 - CURRAGHATOOR, Tipperary

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Tipperary Site name: CURRAGHATOOR

Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number:

Author: Martin Doody, Dept of Archaeology, University College Cork

Site type: Hut sites

Period/Dating: Bronze Age (2200 BC-801 BC)

ITM: E 600050m, N 610853m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.249401, -7.999264

A third season of excavation was carried out at Curraghatoor for a six-week period during July and August. To date a total of five huts has been recorded at the site. The largest of these, Hut 1, is of posthole construction and measures 6.5m in diameter. Huts 2, 3 and 4 were of foundation trench and stakehole construction. Huts 2 and 3 measured 4m and 3m diameter respectively, while only part of the perimeter of hut 4 was recorded. The outline of hut 5 was completely excavated this season. The perimeter was defined by nine stakeholes and the diameter was c.4m. In addition to these, there was evidence to suggest the presence of two further structures, apparently of foundation trench construction. These remain unexcavated.

There appears to be at least two phases of activity at the site as Hut 1 was constructed over a pre-existing series of pits.

The finds include a range of coarse Bronze Age pottery, some of which is in very poor condition and a barbed and tanged arrowhead which was recovered from the topsoil.