County: Limerick Site name: GORTNASCARRY
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 98E0196
Author: Frank Coyne, Aegis Archaeology
Site type: Barrow - unclassified
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 577955m, N 651344m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.612903, -8.325510
Test-trenching in advance of the construction of a diversion channel by the Engineering Section of the OPW was carried out in April–May 1998. Three areas were tested: an enclosure of possible archaeological significance and two stretches of townland boundary between Gortnascarry and Knocknacarrige townlands.
Test-trenching of the enclosure revealed it to be a large barrow 85m in diameter. Timber settings were encountered in the ditch area, from where a blue glass bead of Iron Age date was recovered. A worked flint flake was recovered from the top of the central mound area. In the light of these discoveries the developers decided to redesign the route of the diversion channel.
Two test-trenches were cut into each stretch of the townland boundary. The first set showed the boundary to be a bank constructed from one deposit, with a single accompanying ditch. The second two trenches showed that the character of the boundary had changed closer to the Mulkear River. Here the earthen bank was constructed of six separate layers, the bank itself being flanked on either side by a ditch. No artefacts were recovered from any of the trenches, nor was any suitable dating material encountered.
Three mounds were also investigated before the redesign of the diversion channel in June 1998. These proved to be natural features.
24 Castle Court, Clancy Strand, Limerick
