County: Clare Site name: CARRIGORAN (AREA 18)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 51:1802 Licence number: 98E0337
Author: Thaddeus C. Breen, for Valerie J. Keeley
Site type: Field system
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 538745m, N 667469m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.754802, -8.907427
The site, west of Newmarket-on-Fergus, was originally identified during field-walking for the proposed N18/N19 Road Improvement Scheme. An initial investigation by Fiona Reilly took place in 1998 and confirmed that the remains of stone walls were present (Excavations 1998, 8).
The feature was the remains of a number of field walls in what is now a field 15ha in area and was formerly part of the deerpark of Carrigoran House. The field is used as cattle pasture. There are limestone outcrops at intervals.
Before excavation, the stone walls appeared as discontinuous linear features-small raised areas with some exposed stones. One complete field could be seen. It was approximately square, measuring 55m x 55m. Most of the walls had an orientation approximately parallel to, or perpendicular to, the line of the proposed road, and therefore of the site, but some ran diagonally, to follow the contours. Some of the walls appeared to mark the division between level land and the beginning of a slope.
Over much of their length the walls had been denuded, but the better-preserved sections were found to be quite consistent in form. The northernmost wall, Feature 1, was found to consist of a line of large stones (0.25–0.3m across) along the north-west face, behind which were some smaller stones, 0.1–0.2m across. Whereas the larger stones were blocks, roughly rectangular in shape, these smaller stones were round-not symmetrical like river stones but identical to the stones found locally in the natural subsoil. At the very base was a layer of still smaller stones (c. 0.1m across). The thickness of the feature at this point was 0.91m. In most of the walls the medium-sized stones were found on both sides of the central 'spine' rather than on one side only. Three examples were found of large, flat slabs of limestone placed on edge to form the centre part of the wall. One was resting on a similar slab, laid flat, and another rested on the layer of small stones that underlay the wall proper.
The few finds were mostly of recent date, and none was found in association with the walls. Some other features were found, including drains, shallow pits and a corn-drying kiln. The last was excavated by Billy Quinn.
13 Wainsfort Crescent, Dublin 6W
