County: Limerick Site name: ATTYFLIN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 97E0477
Author: Paul Logue, Archaeological Development Services Ltd.
Site type: Enclosure
Period/Dating: Medieval (AD 400-AD 1600)
ITM: E 551411m, N 648400m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.584717, -8.716988
The assessment at this site (AR7) took place from 11 to 19 December 1997 on behalf of the Road Design Office, Limerick County Council, in advance of road construction. This was the second assessment completed on the site, the previous one having been carried out by James Eogan (see Excavations 1997, No. 327).
The site consists of a rectangular enclosure measuring 85m north–south x 50m east–west. It occupies the level summit of a low ridge in relatively dry pasture overlooking the N20 to the west and a small quarry to the north. The purpose of this assessment was to examine the stratigraphy of the internal part of the enclosure (Trenches 1 and 2) and to place one trench (Trench 3) across its northern boundary.
Three trenches, measuring 2m x 2m (Trenches 1 and 2) and 8m x 1m (Trench 3), were hand-excavated. Trench 1 revealed nothing of archaeological significance. In Trench 2 one shallow pit was uncovered. This was cut into the subsoil and measured 1m east–west x 0.9m north–south. It was filled with redeposited natural sandy/gritty clay overlain by an upper fill of light brown clay loam, and had a maximum depth of 0.25m.
Excavation of Trench 3 revealed a north–south-running U-shaped ditch partially cut into the underlying bedrock. It measured approximately 2–3m in width and had a maximum depth of 0.8m. The main fill was an orange-brown stony clay loam containing much animal bone. This was overlain by an upper fill of grey-brown clay loam containing glazed medieval pottery sherds of probable 13th/14th-century date. This fill most likely formed the base of a later bank, the excavated dimensions of which were approximately 2.6m north–south x 1m east–west.
The bank was also associated with medieval potsherds and accompanied by a contemporary U-shaped outer ditch orientated approximately east–west. The outer ditch was to the north of the bank and measured 2m north–south x 1m east–west. It had a maximum depth of 0.44m and contained four fill layers of charcoal-flecked loam. This outer ditch cut the fills of the earlier U-shaped ditch. On the basis of the two assessment excavations, this site is most likely to be some form of enclosure dating from the medieval period.
Windsor House, 11 Fairview Strand, Fairview, Dublin 3
