2002:1108 - BALLYMACKEAMORE (BGE 3/66/9–10), Limerick

This site was examined as part of Bord Gáis Éireann’s Pipeline to the West. It lay in a natural hollow, with the land rising moderately steeply to the east and gently to the west. A small spread of burnt stone material, which was probably part of the same complex, was excavated immediately to the west (No. 1109, Excavations 2002, BGE 3/66/11, 02E0626). Four phases of activity were identified ranging from the prehistoric to the post-medieval period. Phases were assigned on the basis of artefactual or stratigraphic evidence. Several features could not be clearly assigned to a phase but are described along with similar features with which they are probably contemporary.

The excavated features comprised a metalled surface or degraded fulacht fiadh, five other spreads, two linear features and five pits, including possible troughs. Fourteen stake-holes were identified in the base of one of these troughs.

Phase 1 was prehistoric in date. Pit 52 was oval, measuring 1.3m by 0.95m, and was 0.26m deep, with steep sides and a slightly concave base. The fill was a light grey, silty clay with a large component of stones and a moderate amount of charcoal.

Phase 2 also dated to the prehistoric period. A large spread of degraded stones with occasional charcoal flecks covered most of the western half of the site and overlay the earlier Pit 52. This spread was amorphous in plan and did not have distinct edges but measured c. 11m by 10m, although it extended both north and south of the excavated area. The layer was consistently less than 0.1m thick, and these stones may represent a deliberately laid working surface in this naturally damp hollow. A raised area of natural clay measuring 1.9m by 1.7m formed a plinth that was not overlain by stones. To the west of this plinth was a concentration of charcoal in the stone spread. It was not entirely clear whether the stones had been burnt or had degraded owing to water action, but it is possible that the stony material derived from a fulacht fiadh and was spread across the hollow to serve as a dry surface.

Several prehistoric features cannot be assigned to either Phase 1 or Phase 2, as they did not have clear stratigraphic relationships with the stone layer. These consisted of three small spreads, two pits and two possible troughs. In addition, a small piece of flint, which may be a rough scraper, was retrieved from the topsoil spoilheap. Pit 5 measured 2.95m by 0.96m and was 0.16m deep, with steep sides and a flat base. One of the three fills was rich in charcoal, but none contained burnt stones. Pit 17 was oval, measuring 1.14m by 0.94m, and was 0.12m deep, with a concave profile. The lower fill appeared to represent natural silting, and the upper fill had large components of charcoal and fire-cracked stone. Pits 9 and 32 lay to the east, and uphill, of the stone spread. Although they intercut, the stratigraphic relationship could not be discerned, and it is possible that they were contemporaneous. Pit 9 was subcircular, measuring 1.6m by 1.35m, and was 0.25m deep, with concave sides and a flat base. Fourteen stake-holes, perhaps evidence of a wicker lining, formed a rough circle around the inner edge of the pit. Pit 32 was similar but slightly smaller. The identical fills were black, clayey silts with frequent charcoal inclusions and large components of fire-cracked stone. It may be possible to obtain radiocarbon determinations from bone or charcoal recovered from sieved samples.

Phase 3 was of unknown date. A layer of alluvium overlay the central part of the stone surface, indicating that the hollow had been flooded for a considerable period of time after the prehistoric activity. This layer produced several pieces of animal bone.

Phase 4 was late post-medieval or modern in date and was represented by two linear features, several drains and a deposit of soil. The soil spread was seen in the baulk section laying below the topsoil across a considerable area either side of the site. The material was similar to the topsoil but with inclusions of crumbs of burnt clay. Although this material also lacks definite dating evidence, it is thought to relate to late post-medieval agricultural activity or possibly local brick production, which has been demonstrated 2km to the east by Graham Hull (see No. 1164, Excavations 2002, BGE 3/67/4, 02E0557).

The evidence of prehistoric activity on this site differs from most of the burnt stone deposits excavated in the area. Aspects of the site are reminiscent of a fulacht fiadh—the burnt or degraded stone, the presence of charcoal and the trough-like features—however, the overall layout of the site does not correspond to that of a burnt mound. The stone surface may represent scattered fulacht fiadh material used to form a solid and dry working surface in the base of an otherwise wet hollow. The appearance of the surface, with rounded, degraded-looking stones and little charcoal, was unlike the fills of the possible troughs, perhaps owing to a combination of this dispersal activity and the action of the water that covered the area after its abandonment. The date of this flooding is unclear but might be determined by dating bone from the alluvium. In the absence of absolute dating evidence, most of the activity is considered likely to be Bronze Age.

2 Killiney View, Albert Road Lower, Glenageary, Co. Dublin