2002:1255 - ROSSTEMPLE (BGE 3/72/8), Limerick

This site was examined as part of Bord Gáis Éireann’s Pipeline to the West. A single, isolated pit was excavated, although, as it lay close to the southern edge of the easement, it is possible that further features were situated in the adjacent field.

The pit was oval/subrectangular, measuring 1m north–south by 0.62m, and was 0.3m deep. The profile was generally bowl shaped, except on the eastern side, which was slightly undercut. Two fills were recorded. The primary fill was an orange/brown silty clay with a few small stones, occasional charcoal flecks and a few fragments of bone. The upper fill was a dark brown, silty clay with a large component of stones, both burnt and unburnt, and frequent charcoal flecks. Fragments of burnt bone were also retrieved.

The only artefacts recovered were fragments of bone, both burnt and unburnt. These have yet to be identified to species, but it is thought likely, given the context in which they were found, that they are not human. A moderate amount of fragmentary charcoal was recovered from the sieved soil samples, and this may be suitable for species identification and possibly for radiocarbon determination. Alternatively, a radiocarbon date may be obtained from one of the larger pieces of bone.

This site appears to be an example of a type that is not uncommon in the area, a pit containing charcoal and fire-cracked stone in its fill. This deposit resembles the material from a fulacht fiadh, and the site may represent a single event of heating water or a feature that was used a limited number of times, with only a small amount of burnt stone waste produced. In the absence of absolute dating, the site is considered likely to be Bronze Age.

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