1999:815 - KILLEMLY, Cahir, Tipperary

Pre-construction testing was undertaken before selection of the final route for the proposed Cahir Eastern Relief Road to assess the nature and extent of two possible enclosures identified with the aid of aerial photographs. There were no traces above ground level of either possible enclosure, probably because the field has been tilled for several consecutive years. The testing followed a desk-based assessment and field study that looked at possible routes for the proposed Relief Road.

The enclosures are 40m apart. Eight trenches were manually opened across the enclosures. One trench was sited towards the centre of each enclosure, two were along the edges of each site, and one was outside each enclosure.

The predominant feature identified in the trenches opened along the northern edge, in the centre and on the periphery of the first enclosure was a ditch or drain-like feature. A modern sherd of pottery was recovered from the fill of this feature. It appeared that the drain had no association with the enclosure and was a more recent feature dug to improve drainage in an adjoining field. In addition to the drain, there was a series of furrows. The furrows had been truncated by the drain-like feature.

The drain and furrows appeared to have disturbed a number of potential archaeological features including a circular cut, possible post-holes and a fine stone/cobble surface. The surface was only partly picked up, as it extended beneath three sides of the trench. A wide, curved cut was picked up along the southern edge of the first site investigated. It was only partly exposed, as it extended beneath three sides of the trench. It had three different fills. No datable finds were recovered, but there was extensive charcoal-flecking in the fills. This feature may be the ditch surrounding the enclosure.

The second possible enclosure is 40m to the south of the first. A wide linear cut was uncovered in the trench opened in the centre of the enclosure. In addition a wide linear cut was picked up in the trench opened on the north-east edge of the site. It was 1.5m wide and 0.5m deep. This feature extended across the trench and disappeared beneath the north and south sides of the trench. Its fills were sterile except for charcoal inclusions. Two small circular features truncated the upper fill of the cut. The fills within the circular features contained large quantities of charcoal. A possible post-hole was identified to the north-west of the wide linear cut.

In the two trenches opened along the south edge and just outside the southern circumference of the enclosure, further features were uncovered. A curved cut, 0.75m wide and 0.35m deep, was identified along the south-east corner of the trench opened on the south edge of the enclosure. It had a pronounced curve. Its fill contained charcoal and small quantities of fragmented animal bone. By virtue of the location of this feature it was impossible to establish its extent or function. The final trench was just outside the confines of the enclosure. A deep cut, again of unknown width and length, was uncovered. There was a series of three fills, which sealed a wall. The drystone wall, 0.35m wide, extended across the length of the trench. The wall overlay two primary fills in the deep cut.

Non-identifiable archaeological remains were uncovered in all the trenches. Several linear and curved cuts and their associated fills, a possible stone wall and several post-holes were exposed. It was not possible to conclusively establish relationships between the important visible features uncovered during the testing and the two possible enclosures visible on the aerial photograph.

In only one instance were datable finds revealed. The fill in the relatively modern land drain uncovered and investigated in three of the trenches provided modern finds. This drain truncated most of the archaeology in these trenches. No artefacts were found within the other features or deposits, in context or in situ.

The testing works confirmed the presence of an archaeological site, although its date remained undetermined. The site was preserved in situ.

24 Queen Street, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary