County: Limerick Site name: BALLINGAYROUR (BGE 3/77/24)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E0508
Author: Kate Taylor, Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd.
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 559782m, N 634469m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.460192, -8.591797
This site was examined as part of Bord Gáis Éireann’s Pipeline to the West. A single, isolated post-hole was excavated on fairly flat pastureland adjacent to a small stream. The post-hole was oval with a concave profile, measuring 0.29m by 0.26m, and was 0.24m deep. It was filled by a grey/black silty clay that contained a small number of rounded stones and had a large charcoal component.
A bulk soil sample of the post-hole fill has been wet sieved and floated: a small amount of charcoal and a few small fragments of bone were recovered, some of which were burnt. Initial inspection suggests that it is unlikely that these represent cremated human bone, but further analysis is required. The charcoal may be suitable for species identification.
Given the absence of artefactual material other than the very small amount of bone, it seems unlikely that any date will be assigned to this isolated feature or, unless the bone is shown to be human, any explanation of its purpose found.
2 Killiney View, Albert Road Lower, Glenageary, Co. Dublin
