1996:330 - ERRIS, Roscommon

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Roscommon Site name: ERRIS

Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 96E0050

Author: Hilary Opie

Site type: Burnt mound and Road - unclassified togher

Period/Dating: Undetermined

ITM: E 582287m, N 803029m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.976235, -8.270009

Excavations, funded by Roscommon County Council, took place between 4 and 13 March 1996 prior to road development of the Curlew's Road Bypass scheme. The site first came to attention during machine topsoil-stripping of the area, which uncovered a mound of burnt and blackened sandstone, characteristic of a fulacht fiadh. There were no surface indications of the mound prior to topsoil-stripping.

The mound measured approximately 9m north-south by 10m east-west and was roughly circular, varying towards irregular, in shape. It reached its highest point, 0.6m, towards the centre.

The mound consisted of burnt and blackened fulacht fiadh material, containing approximately 80% fire-cracked sandstone, c. 50–60mm3, and 20% charcoal-stained peat, silt and marl. No trough or hearth areas were found in association with the mound. It is possible that these lay outside the investigated area and off the road-take.

To the south-east of the site the remains of a brushwood and stake-built trackway were uncovered. Unfortunately this had been truncated to the north, east and south by the digging of a drainage channel. This left only a small portion intact, measuring approximately 5.5m north-east/south-west in length by 1.5m in width. This was constructed on top of the same marshy peat layer that the mound was sitting on, indicating that the two were probably contemporary.

The trackway was constructed from a layer of sandstone (unburned) and silt, laid down on the marshy surface. This varied between 0.05m and 0.25m in thickness. On to this a layer of brushwood was thrown down. Some effort was made to ensure that this was aligned in a roughly north-east/southwest direction. It varied from 0.07m to 0.2m in thickness.

Into this a series of stakes or pegs were hammered. These formed two rough lines running approximately northeast/south-west and would have provided stability for the brushwood track surface. The stakes or pegs exhibited signs of working in the form of axe marks.

The site was located approximately 40m north of a stream and lay in very marshy, boggy ground. Some animal teeth and burnt bone fragments were found, which may suggest that it was used as a cooking place. However, no other finds were recovered from the site.

16 Ormond Sq., Dublin 7