1995:176 - ROCK OF DUNAMASE, Laois

There were two seasons of excavation in 1995, both funded by the OPW. The first of these, from mid-April to the end of June, concentrated on an area north and east of the gate-tower revealed last year (Excavations 1994, 51–2, and Archaeology Ireland, Vol. 9, No. 2, 18–21) and an area within the tower left unfinished last season, with a small exploratory trench in the keep. The second season, in September/October, was designed to open up the area south of the curtain wall to improve the view from the south and make the monument more accessible.

The major result of the 1995 season was to confirm the existence of Early Christian phases on the site, suspected though not proven in 1994. A massive drystone wall running roughly parallel to the main curtain but 2–3m further south was revealed. This was the continuation of a wall exposed last year under the batter added to the south-west corner of the tower, which terminated on the line of the later tower entrance. Last year this wall was believed to link with another drystone wall to the east, upon which the curtain sits, but it is now clear that there are two phases of pre-castle walls set back from one another in terrace fashion. Excavation within the tower revealed a series of surfaces which showed that the later tower had utilised the original entrance through these walls, and work on the outside suggests a slight realignment of the gateway between the earlier and later pre-Norman phases. Two pieces of metalwork, under conservation at the time of writing, may date the two phases, while a coin found on the surface within the tower after the winter hints at a 9th-century date.

To the north and east of the tower, excavation revealed a series of surfaces but no evidence of structures of Norman date except the walls. As suspected last year, the batter around the north-east corner of the tower was found to continue the length of the east wall but it stops within the thickness of the curtain wall which was later built up against it. It was possible to demonstrate that the ground level had risen c. 0.5m between these two building phases.

Analysis of the standing structure of the keep has resulted in its interpretation as a single-storey hall with a solar block at the east end and a ground-floor entrance protected by a later, early 13th-century, forebuilding. Later medieval features, i.e. the door and several windows, are now believed to have been inserted in post-medieval times. Excavation revealed a further 7.5m of the north wall but failed to locate the north-west corner, which is now known to lie further to the west. A slight offset between the line of the surviving above-ground wall and that exposed by excavation is taken as evidence for a suspended wooden floor, while a stone feature with sluice, built into an embrasure partially visible prior to excavation, is believed to be part of a laver. The exposed section of wall was extremely degraded and survived for the most part as a single course of massive stones.

A number of interesting finds were retrieved this season apart from those already mentioned. Several medieval coins may help to refine dating of the phases, and evidence that game-playing was popular was found in the form of counters, dice, a possible stone merels board, as well as abundant evidence that the dice were made on site. Other finds include a pair of spurs, stick-pins, an unusual comb with bronze side plates and numerous sherds of medieval pottery, which are currently under study.

(N.B. To avoid any confusion it should be noted that, for descriptive purposes, a site north has been adopted for the excavation, based on the central line through the main gatehouse, somewhat west of true north.)

Cragg, Birdhill, Co. Tipperary