County: Cork Site name: BARNAGORE 2
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E0383
Author: Ed Danaher, ACS Ltd.
Site type: Cremation pit
Period/Dating: Bronze Age (2200 BC-801 BC)
ITM: E 555989m, N 569816m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 51.878783, -8.639224
During monitoring of topsoil-stripping in the townland of Barnagore, carried out as part of the N22 Ballincollig Bypass Scheme, two unrelated pits were uncovered c. 0.5m below the sod. An area measuring 15m east–west by 15m was cleaned back.
The first pit contained over 200 sherds of Bronze Age pottery and a small number of stone objects; a stake-hole and two small, shallow deposits were associated with this feature. All three features were cut into the boulder clay. The second pit, 8m north-west of the first, was a shallow, linear pit containing charcoal-stained soil and more than twenty sherds of medieval pottery.
The first pit, which contained two separate fills, was sub-oval, measuring 0.78m east–west by 0.3m, with a maximum depth of 0.37m. Although no cremated bone was present, it may have functioned as a burial-pit; many of the finds present appeared to have been deliberately placed into it. The nature of the material deposition would rule against it being a refuse pit. Pottery within the pit appeared to have been deliberately sorted, with sherds from larger coarseware vessels present in the secondary fill and sherds of finer vessels in the primary fill. The stone tools also appeared to have been placed into it with care. Two water-rolled stones appeared to have been deliberately placed in an upright position within the upper level of the primary fill and the base of the secondary fill. These were near the western and eastern extents of the pit and were positioned at an angle of approximately 40º, with the thin end of the stone placed upward in each case. The stone positioned near the eastern extent of the pit appeared to have been broken in antiquity. In the secondary fill a fragment of a possible saddle quern was positioned sideways against the northern edge of the pit. Other inclusions were two pieces of flint debitage. Charcoal from this pit was dated to 2480–2050 BC.
A subcircular stake-hole was positioned 0.9m south of this pit, with a diameter of 0.14m and a depth of 0.22m. This feature had almost vertical sides that tapered to a pointed base, and a sherd of Bronze Age pottery was present within it.
Two small, shallow deposits of loose, charcoal-stained, silty clay were present to the south and north of the pit. Both of these deposits were very similar to the secondary fill of the pit and were possibly the redeposited remains of the upper level of this deposit.
The second pit, c. 8m north-west of the Bronze Age pit, was linear, measuring 1.15m north-east/south-west by 0.33m, with a depth of 0.14m. A single charcoal-stained deposit filled this feature, a loose, dark brown/black, silty clay. It contained a moderate amount of charcoal and small stone inclusions, as well as 22 sherds of medieval pottery. No discernible concentrations of either the charcoal or the pottery were evident.
This site was 100m south-west of a possible Bronze Age cremation pit (No. 236, Excavations 2002, 02E0400) and c. 110m west-south-west of a cluster of three Bronze Age pits and a Neolithic house (No. 235, Excavations 2002, 02E0384).
Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth
