County: Waterford Site name: WATERFORD OUTER RING ROAD
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 03E1174
Author: Linda Hegarty, Headland Archaeology Ltd.
Site type: Pit
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 661379m, N 609601m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.234724, -7.101399
As part of the pre-development assessment of the archaeological potential of the Waterford Outer Ring Road south of Waterford city, a series of test-trenches was excavated within the proposed land-take of the route. The project required seven licences: six for areas of high archaeological potential and a further licence for general testing of the route. Excavation commenced in late July for a period of four weeks. Under this licence for Area 1, the archaeological remains comprised a possible enclosing ditch, which was located in Trenches 1 and 9 of Field 3.
The second possible site identified was in Fields 27 and 28 (Chainage 4142–4250). This area consisted of nine possible features: two post-holes, two pits, four stake-holes and a ditch which was located in three trenches in Field 28. Situated c. 130m further north-west along the centre-line trench were three more features: two possible pits and one possible post-hole.
A pit was recorded in Field 33. It measured 1.6m in diameter and contained fragments of carbonised hazelnut shell, cereal grains which included hulled and naked barley and occasional grains of emmer wheat along with charcoal. This pit was located 360m north-west of the confirmed fulacht fiadh (Area 6, Nos 1864–5, Excavations 2003, 03E1176).
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