2002:0297 - CURRAHEEN 2, Cork

During pre-development testing in the townland of Curraheen, carried out as part of the N22 Ballincollig Bypass Scheme, a spread of burnt-mound material consisting of dark brown/black clay containing burnt and fragmented sandstone and charcoal flecks was exposed. An area measuring 15m by 15m was stripped by machine to remove the topsoil, which had an average thickness of 0.5m. The area was then cleaned by hand to define the exact extent of the site. Excavation was carried out during adverse weather conditions, and flooding was a constant and major problem throughout the process. The rainfalls experienced in this region during the month of February 2002 were the highest on record for over 40 years, causing the river to the south of the site to overflow its banks, flooding the site on numerous occasions.

The site was in a flat area of marsh north of the Maglin River, which flows east–west. What the surrounding landscape may have looked like in antiquity can be glimpsed from some of the other excavations that were carried out in the areas of marshland affected by the development. Fulachta fiadh, which are usually situated close to water, were plentiful within this area. A site interpreted as a fulacht fiadh (No. 299, Excavations 2002, 02E1297) was discovered on marshy land to the north of the site, and a high concentration of fulacht-related features (troughs, pits and small, shallow spreads of heat-shattered stone and charcoal) were found to the north-east. A second fulacht, excavated by Donald Murphy, Carrigrohane 1 (Excavations 2001, No. 137, 01E0444), also within marsh, was situated c. 300m north of the site. The presence of these features suggests that this marshy environment may not have changed much over millennia.

When the extent of the site was established, it was clear that much of the original burnt mound had been removed through agricultural activities. A quantity had become incorporated in the topsoil, possibly through ploughing. The spread of this material covered a small area, measuring 8m north–south by 7.5m, and had an average depth of 0.03m. Removal of this material, a dark brown/black silty clay with frequent burnt sandstone and charcoal fleck inclusions, revealed a subcircular pit to the north-west of the site. As with much of the former spread, this pit was partly covered with redeposited subsoil.

The pit contained two fills. The secondary fill was confined to its western side and consisted of a mix of redeposited substratum and burnt-mound material. Below this was the primary and predominant fill. This deposit was very similar to the burnt-mound material present throughout the site and, like this, was possibly secondary refuse derived from burnt-mound activities. The dimensions of this pit (2.35m by 2.1m by 0.45m deep) suggest that it may have functioned as a trough. It was the only feature on the site that was dug into the substratum. No evidence of a hearth was found, although it is probable that ploughing would have removed all traces of it, particularly if it was only a surface feature.

At the southern extent of the site was a natural deposit of iron pan below the topsoil and above the subsoil, measuring 3m north–south by 2.8m.

Without any dating evidence, it is not possible to establish what link this site may have had with the others excavated in the locale. However, the dating results from these sites may help to establish a chronological framework for this cluster, while the analysis of the other material unearthed at the sites may shed light on their role and function.

Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth