County: Cork Site name: CURRAHEEN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: Elizabeth Byrne
Site type: Pits and Pit-burial
Period/Dating: Early Medieval (AD 400-AD 1099)
ITM: E 578954m, N 610053m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.241810, -8.308152
Prior to the building of an abbatoir at Curraheen, Mitchelstown, Co. Cork, the proposed site was examined by an archaeologist due to its close proximity to a severely eroded circular enclosure (possibly a ringfort of Early Christian date). The development site consisted of a rectangular area c. 68mc. 64m adjoining the road side. Five trial trenches, measuring 1.8m wide, were set out diagonally across the site. All trenches were opened by a mechanical digger under archaeological supervision.
In the north-east quadrant of the site a pit (F 1), was discovered. The pit measured 2.55m x 0.54m and cut 0.24m into the yellow boulder clay. There were 3 layers of fill. The bottom layer consisted or red burnt earth, depth 4cm. Above this was a layer of black charcoal-enriched earth c. 0.5mm- 0.6mm thick, which in turn was covered by a very dark grey earth with some charcoal.
This pit was cut on the west side by a larger pit (F2), 0.88m in width and cutting 0.36m into the boulder clay. The fill in this pit consisted of a very dark grey/brown sandy clay with some small water-rolled pebbles, charcoal, an unidentifiable fragment of animal bone, and burnt sandstone. Overlying this pit and also cutting F1 was a field drain.
The soil samples were examined by John Tierney of the Archaeological Services Unit, UCC. Both pits produced large quantities of charred cereals. The cereals recovered were oats, barley, breadwheat, and possibly rye. John suggests that the finding of these species allows a relative date to be applied to the site. The presence of oats and rye and the strong association between oats and barley is indicative of the Early Christian and medieval periods. The proximity of the pits to possible Early Christian settlement in the vicinity, supports this argument.
Pit burial
During removal of topsoil, prior to digging of foundations, a pit was revealed. The pit, oval in plan, measured 0.25m and 0.3m. It had a depth of 0.12m (top c. 0.2m removed by mechanical digger) cut into the yellow boulder clay and was filled with a very dark grey, sandy/silt soil, containing charcoal and cremated bone.
The cremated bone was examined by Catryn Power of the Archaeological Services Unit, UCC, who reported that: 'These remains consist of 359g of cremated bone (excluding remains from sieved soil which has yet to be examined). All except 4 fragments are white; 4 fragments are grey and 2 of these are from the distal ends of bones. The largest fragment of bone measures 0.7m in length and came from a left ulna. The size of the identifiable fragments varies between 0.2m and 0.4m in length. Hear fissures occur on most fragments. The ulnae and metacarpals are warped.
These cremated remains represent a minimum of one individual. The identified bones belong to a mature adult, probably young; it was not possible to obtain a more accurate age. Sexing of the individual was not possible because the diagnostic bones were absent.' No dating evidence, in the form of grave goods, was found.
3 Easons Avenue, Cork
