County: Roscommon Site name: CLOONAGIWNAGH (Sites 2–4)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 03E1770
Author: Judith Carroll
Site type: Pit
Period/Dating: Early Medieval (AD 400-AD 1099)
ITM: E 590311m, N 800070m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.949856, -8.147602
Excavation was carried out in November/December 2003, when the sites were uncovered during monitoring of soil-stripping ahead of construction for the N4 road realignment scheme, 3km west of Carrick-on-Shannon to 8km east of Boyle.
Site 2, lying on the southern side and near the top of a hill, was initially revealed during the bulldozing of sub-topsoil material. The uppermost archaeological deposit was a layer that consisted of a mixture of broken stones and charred material including wood. This material had been truncated by probable agricultural activities prior to the road construction. A small shallow pit underlay this layer and contained a single deposit of oxidised soil containing some charred material.
Lying within 20m to the east of Site 2, Site 3, a pit within a small area of archaeological activity, was found during the same road construction works as for Site 2. The pit was roughly rectangular and flat-bottomed. It was substantially truncated on its upper surface and at one end. The base of the pit was distinctly baked and contained impressed portions of charred wood debris. Over this lay a shallow fill of almost pure charcoal.
Found during the same ground clearance and some 10m to the north of Site 3, Site 4 was a heavily truncated pit with a base of baked in situ clay which contained a shallow, carbon-rich fill. It may well have been contemporary with Site 3.
13 Anglesea Street, Dublin 2
