County: Roscommon Site name: CLOONGOWNAGH
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 99E0193
Author: Mary Henry
Site type: Enclosure, House - prehistoric and Fulacht fia
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 590597m, N 799982m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.949078, -8.143238
The excavation took place in Cloongownagh townland, 3 miles west of Carrick-on-Shannon, before construction of the Rockingham to Cortober Road Project. The enclosure was not recorded in the SMR but was uncovered during field-walking for route selection.
Only one half of the monument will be affected by road construction, and accordingly the excavation concentrated on the southern half of the site. The northern half will be preserved in situ.
The enclosure is 62m in diameter, with the area of the excavation measuring 62m by 34m. The enclosure was surrounded by an infilled ditch and a low earthen bank. The excavation comprised half of the enclosure and also the strip of road-take to the south of the archaeological site. The full dimensions of the overall excavation were 140m by 50m.
The southern half of the enclosure was very heavily disturbed by agricultural furrows. However, features did survive within the confines of the excavated enclosure. The ditch was completely excavated. It had an average width of 3m and a depth varying between 1m and 1.5m. All of the fills were manually excavated. The lower fills reflected silting of the ditch, and the later fills indicated that material had been tipped into the ditch much later to level up the site. The low internal bank had an average width of 3.5m and a very irregular thickness. Three entrances were uncovered and excavated. The main entrance was at the south side of the enclosure. It was 6m long and 4.7m wide. The second entrance, which was sited in the south-east quadrant of the enclosure, was 6.4m long and 3m wide. The third entrance was at the west side and was 4.4m long and 3.6m wide. All three entrances had cobbled surfaces. There was no trace of a causeway across the ditch for any of the entrances.
A long, linear feature, aligned east-west, was excavated within the confines of the enclosure. It was at least 10m long, 1.2m wide and 1.1m deep. Within the feature were three well-preserved wooden planks c. 1.5m long and four substantial uprights. The full extent of the linear feature was not uncovered during the excavation as it extended into the half of the site not affected by the proposed road. Its function remains undetermined. However, samples of wood have been submitted for dating. This linear feature appeared to be stratigraphically part of the latest phase of activity within the confines of the enclosure.
An oval cut, which contained a dark, organic fill and included occasional seeds, was uncovered towards the centre of the enclosure. This cut was one of the few features that contained organic remains. Many of the fills associated with the excavated cuts were very sparse in finds and had little or no organic content.
A circular house, 8m in diameter, was revealed in the southern part of the enclosure. The house was sited c. 2.5m north of the embankment surrounding the enclosure. Charcoal samples taken from a foundation cut for the house gave a date of AD 32. The house appeared to belong to the second phase of occupation within the confines of the enclosure. A series of arc features, of unknown purpose, contemporary with the house, was discovered under the embankment of the enclosure. These features appear to have been truncated by the ditch that extended outside the embankment. As well as the arc-shaped cuts, a series of ten circular and rectangular pits, also belonging to the second phase of occupation, was uncovered and excavated.
Several features were also discovered outside the southern perimeter of the enclosure. A possible Neolithic house was discovered to the west of the enclosure. This feature was a subrectangular foundation cut (10.2m east-west by 7m), with a compacted internal surface that contained a spread of ashes and burnt material, and a series of stake-holes.
A fulacht fiadh was discovered in a boggy area 45m to the south-east of the enclosure. This feature was 6m by 4m and consisted of a burnt mound, a trough cut and a series of pits that possibly pre-dated the fulacht fiadh.
Just outside the enclosure and to its south-east a new site was uncovered in late 1999. It was a subrectangular enclosure, part of which extended outside the land-take for the new road. This new site will be excavated in 2000.
24 Queen Street, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary
