County: Tipperary Site name: TULLAHEDY
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 102:79 Licence number: 97E0472
Author: Cia McConway, Archaeological Development Services Ltd.
Site type: Habitation site
Period/Dating: Neolithic (4000BC-2501 BC)
ITM: E 583354m, N 677239m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.845828, -8.247103
The site lies c. 3.3km to the west of Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, along the western limit of the N7 Bypass. The site consists primarily of a gravel and sand mound 110m x 125m, to the immediate north of the road-take, within a low-lying boggy landscape. It had been intended to quarry the mound for fill, but when the depth and complexity of the surviving archaeological deposits became apparent it was agreed to allow the lower slopes of the mound to remain intact. They have since been covered with terram and topsoil.
As excavated, the mound was almost entirely enclosed by a linear, ditch-type feature, scarping into the natural face of the mound, creating a very steep inner face and petering out as it ran into the surrounding bog. The ditch had a maximum depth of 1.86m, was 8m wide and was filled with a basal, charcoal-rich, black, peaty clay, overlain with a series of lightly charcoal-flecked, compact, stony, orange/grey clays. Polished stone axes, chert arrowheads, struck chert, stone beads and pendants were all recovered from the ditch fills. Along the inner edge of the ditch was evidence of a palisade that cut through both the undisturbed subsoil and the upper ditch fill.
Owing to the realignment of an open drain, the ditch and associated features are no longer within the catchment area for the road and have also been preserved.
Numerous pits, post-holes and stake-holes were excavated along the slopes of the mound, particularly in two areas. Along the southern slope a large pit was visible in the quarry face and, as survived, measured 8.8m x 6m x 2m. It had been entirely lined with wooden planks that were burnt in situ. A few pieces of Neolithic pottery, chert scrapers, chert arrowheads and bone were recovered from the fill. On removal of a plank along the eastern side of the pit a large, polished, shale axe almost 0.4m long was recovered. It is unlikely that an axe of such size was have been misplaced, and therefore it can be concluded that it was deliberately deposited during construction of the pit.
The eastern slope of the mound had been heavily landscaped and transformed in the prehistoric period. A large hollow 16m wide and, as excavated, 12m long had been quarried into the side of the mound to produce a large level platform through which numerous post-holes, pits and stake-holes were excavated. The area was extremely charcoal-rich, with extensive areas of burnt red clay, indicating that the hollowed-out area had been fired, possibly as part of the activity occurring here. After the activity had ceased in the hollowed-out area soil was tipped back into the depression, reinstating the natural slope of the mound. Numerous polished stone axes, chert arrowheads, rock crystal, Neolithic pottery and struck chert were recovered from these soils. Surrounding this large hollowed-out area were several much smaller hollowed-out platforms, each one also infilled after use to reinstate the natural slope of the mound. The large hollowed-out area and all to the east of it have been preserved under terram and topsoil.
Evidence suggests that Tullahedy had been the focus of extensive ritual activity on a scale and of a nature unique in the current Irish archaeological record.
Windsor House, 11 Fairview Strand, Fairview, Dublin 3
