2001:1104 - SRANURE, Offaly

Test excavation was undertaken on the site of a proposed new dwelling at Sranure, Co. Offaly, on 28 May 2001. The development site lies immediately east of a church site and graveyard and there is a holy well in the field to the north. The church is named ‘Temple Kieran’ on Ordnance Survey maps and its site is indicated east of centre in the large rectangular graveyard. A grass-covered rubble mound now marks the church site.

Testing comprised the mechanical excavation of four trenches, extending east–west across the development site. No features were encountered in Trenches 1, 2 and 4, but two possible archaeological eatures were discovered in Trench 3. Feature 1 was a linear/curvilinear round-bottomed ditch, 2.55m wide and 0.9m deep, oriented north-east/south-west. The ditch fills were similar to the topsoil although not as compacted and slightly darker in colour. The upper fill was 0.8m thick and at its base there was a loose stone fill containing frequent lumps of iron slag, some of which were quite large and bowl-shaped. This fill also yielded some animal bone (cattle, pig jaw) and an iron nail. The lower fill was slightly darker as it was mixed with the orange silty sand subsoil. No finds were recovered from this fill.

Feature 2 was a linear cut, 1.25m wide and 0.25m deep, also orientated north-east/south-west but not running parallel to the ditch feature. The upper fill was compact dark brown sandy silt containing pebbles, small stones, charcoal and occasional pieces of red burnt clay. It overlay a deposit of loose white/yellow ash containing some charcoal, and this overlay a more compacted red/orange sandy ash containing some small stones and patches of red burnt clay. Three small fragments of burnt sheep/goat bone and a medieval potsherd were found in the upper fill. No finds were recovered from the underlying ash deposits.

The ditch feature discovered in Trench 3 is probably part of an enclosure element associated with the ecclesiastical site at Sranure. The extent of the ditch is unknown as it was not encountered in Trench 2, which was 15m to the south of Trench 3, nor was it encountered in Trench 4, which was 35m to the north.

The discovery of significant quantities of iron slag in the ditch clearly indicates that iron-smelting was carried out in the vicinity. The distinctive bowl-shaped profile of some of the iron slag suggests that these are furnace bottoms. Iron-working was common on Early Christian sites, and it is known that smelting often took place in the sheltered locations conveniently provided by ditches. This supports the suggestion that the ditch feature is part of an ecclesiastical enclosure but further testing would be required to resolve this matter. The origin of the nearby linear feature is unknown but the presence of charcoal, burnt clay and ash indicates intensive burning and suggests that it may be associated with the iron-smelting.

31 Ashbrook, Oranmore, Co. Galway