County: Tipperary Site name: WINDMILL (Site 31)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 03E0391
Author: Neil Fairburn, for Judith Carroll Network Archaeology Ltd.
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 607328m, N 639121m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.503434, -7.892053
Testing at Site 31 was carried out in Phase 2 of the archaeological investigations on behalf of South Tipperary County Council in advance of construction of the N8 Cashel Bypass and N74 Link Road. The scheme involves a 6km bypass route of the town and a 2km link road of the N74.
Testing Area 31, c. 1km south of the town of Cashel, is an area of good quality pastoral land which lies along the northern slope of Windmill Hill in Windmill townland. To the south lies Windmill ringfort (SMR 61:72) and a medieval leper hospital (SMR 61:073).
Phase 1 pre-construction work was carried out by Mary Henry Archaeological Services Ltd in 2002 in an area between Chainages 1040 and 1200. In response to the number of features uncovered in this phase, the area was divided into five sites for Phase 2, four of which were resolution sites. These were Sites 32 (Chainages 1050–1060), 33 (Chainages 1080–1090), 34 (Chainages 1115–1125) and 35 (Chainages 1160–1225). They were excavated by Neil O'Flanagan (No. 1779, Excavations 2003, 03E0299) and the writer (Nos 1832, 03E0398; 1833, 03E0418 and 1834, 03E0424, above). Site 31, a single testing area (Chainages 1040–1160), was also designated to further investigate the areas between these resolution sites.
The testing work uncovered a small number of possible stake- and post-holes. The fact that the majority of these features were shallow and isolated suggested, along with the numerous plough furrows, that the area had been severely damaged by ploughing and that there were now no archaeological remains present.
Cocyn Uchaf, Moelfre, Anglesey, Wales
