County: Tipperary Site name: KNOCKALTON UPPER (SITE A)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 97E0320 ext.
Author: Richard N. O'Brien, Archaeological Development Services Ltd.
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 589252m, N 677539m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.848674, -8.159548
This was an extension to the original licence issued to Paul Logue in 1997 for pre-development testing on the Nenagh Bypass (Excavations 1997, 177). Site A lay off the Knockalton Road and c. 70m north-east of a ringfort, AR27. It did not lie on the bypass road itself but on a new side road.
The site consisted of an irregular linear ditch, running north-south across the road-take for 20.8m and roughly U-shaped in section. At its south end it was 0.22m deep, and at its north end 0.32m deep. It had two clearly defined fills. The primary fill was a grey/brown, silty, sterile clay, which was not continuous within the whole ditch. The secondary fill was a moderately compact, dark brown, silty clay, with occasional charcoal-flecking, occurring over the entire length of the ditch. Neither ditch fill produced finds.
Approximately 3–5m south-west of the southern end of the ditch a number of small, hollow pits were found that may be associated with it. There were no finds or dating evidence from these pits.
In appearance and form the ditch resembled the two ditches found in Knockalton Lower (No. 605 above), the townland to the immediate east.
Although the site produced no finds and there was no dating evidence, its close resemblance in form to the ditches found at Knockalton Lower suggests that it is prehistoric in date. It may be possible to get enough of a charcoal sample from the fills to date the site.
Windsor House, 11 Fairview Strand, Fairview, Dublin 3
