County: Cork Site name: MITCHELLSFORT
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 53:09201-3 Licence number: 99E0673
Author: Eamonn Cotter
Site type: Fulachta fia
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 576055m, N 583096m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 51.999384, -8.348711
These sites, in close proximity to each other c. 1.3km south of the village of Watergrasshill, Co. Cork, were excavated before the construction of the Watergrasshill Bypass, a proposed new section of the N8 roadway. The excavations were funded by Cork County Council.
The sites are on low-lying, boggy land that has been partially drained and reclaimed in recent years. Given their close proximity, all three were excavated under the same licence.
Site A (53:09201)
Topsoil was removed from an area measuring 11m north-south by 12m, revealing an oval mound of heat-shattered stone measuring c. 3m north-south x 4m and 0.56m deep. In addition, there were two spreads of burnt stone extending to the north-east and west of the mound. In both of these spreads the stone was mixed with soil, suggesting that the mound had been disturbed by modern machinery. A modern land drain (0.2m deep) ran north-south across the west side of the cutting, c. 5m to the west of the mound. A second trench (c. 2m wide x 0.5m deep), running north-east/south-west across the south-east corner of the cutting, is also likely to be a drainage feature.
Two pits were uncovered cut into the underlying clay. One, at the north-east corner of the cutting, was slightly oval and measured 2m x 1.5m x 0.25m deep. It was set apart from the burnt mound, c. 2.5m away, but was filled with burnt stone, similar to the mound material, with some silting.
The second pit was 6m to the south-east, underneath the burnt mound. It was approximately rectangular, measuring 1.5m x 1.5m x 0.38m deep. It too was filled with material similar to that in the burnt mound, and a quantity of white clay was found in the southern half of the pit.
No definite evidence for lining was recovered in either of the pits, although the white clay found in the second one may represent collapsed clay lining. However, the high clay content of the natural subsoil in the area makes it quite impermeable so that, as was evident during the excavation, the pits retained water naturally, without any need for lining. No evidence for a hearth was uncovered.
Site B (53:09202)
Site B was c. 15m north-east of the mound of Site A. It was an irregularly shaped mound of burnt, shattered stone measuring 3.5m east-west x 5.5m north-south at its maximum extent with an average depth of 0.5m. Around the north-west, west and south-west sides the edges of the mound extended under the red clay, indicating modern disturbance of the site.
Underneath the mound a pit was dug into the clay. The pit was oval and measured 2.3m east-west x 1.6m x 0.35m deep. It was filled with the same material as the burnt mound, with some silting and patches of white clay.
A second, smaller pit 3m to the north measured 1m east-west x 0.5m x 0.12m deep. It was filled with loamy soil with some burnt stone. Its function is unclear.
Site C (53:09203)
Site C was 30m to the north-west of Site B. It was an approximately rectangular mound of burnt, shattered stone measuring 6m east-west x 4m with an average depth of only 0.2m. A modern field drain cut through the mound in a north-south direction. No definite archaeological features were uncovered, although near the north-east corner of the cutting what appeared to be one side of a feature cut into the subsoil was noted. The fill in this area consisted of inclusions of natural clay mixed with peat and naturally occurring gravel. This may have been the location of a trough that has suffered extensive disturbance during modern drainage work.
A trench 2.5m wide and 18m long was excavated in the area between Sites B and C. No archaeological features were present in this trench.
Ballynanelagh, Rathcormac, Co. Cork
