County: Clare Site name: BALLYCONNA (BGE 3/11/3)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E1392
Author: Emer Dennehy, for Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd.
Site type: Burnt spread
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 537573m, N 682334m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.888255, -8.927625
The site was exposed during monitoring of topsoil-stripping along Section 3 of the Bord Gáis Éireann Pipeline to the West, to the north of the road joining Barefield village to Spancil Hill, Co. Clare. This spread of heat-shattered stones in a grey/black matrix was situated at the base of a small hill at the head of a valley that extends for over 500m to the south. Because of the natural accumulation of water caused by run-off from the valley and hillside, conditions were suitable for peat growth that covers the base of the hill to a maximum depth of 0.8m.
The site was initially revealed as a subcircular, black, charcoal-rich spread with fire-cracked limestone, measuring 8.4m north–south by 7.2m and 0.44m deep. This material represented the debris from a firing site outside the wayleave, which was used on two separate occasions. Because the material was mostly fire-cracked limestone, it can be interpreted that the firing site was not used for the open boiling of meat products or bathing but was employed for a different purpose, such as in the processing of textiles. Results from the analysis of charcoal recovered from the material, which would give a date and further our understanding of the local environment at the site, are pending.
2 Killiney View, Albert Road Lower, Glenageary, Co. Dublin
