County: Meath Site name: LARACOR (Site 3)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: ME036-043 Licence number: 04E0987
Author: Thaddeus C. Breen, for Valerie J. Keeley
Site type: Mound, Enclosure, Metalworking site and Fulacht fia
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 680790m, N 753653m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.526622, -6.781514
The site adjoined a mound that has been variously identified as a tumulus and a motte, and a 19th-century church built on the site of the mediaeval parish church (SMR 36:44). A geophysical survey showed that two concentric ditches enclosed the mound (which was somewhat off-centre) and extended into the road-take. It also showed a large amount of disturbance further to the south-east.
An initial test excavation showed that the innermost ditch was 5m wide and 2.1m deep and the outer ditch was approximately half this size. Further investigation showed that there were entrances through the ditches on the east side, and a crouched inhumation of a child was found immediately inside the entrance through the inner ditch. Part of what appeared to be another ditch immediately surrounding the mound was discovered. It was subsequently decided that the ditched enclosure would be preserved in situ and work concentrated on the area to the south-east.
Fifteen metres to the east of the outer ditch, traces of a truncated double ring-ditch were found near the top of a gravel ridge, with two extended inhumationsin one of the ditches. Most of the remainder of the features consisted of ditches, pits and hearths of post-mediaeval date, some of which were associated with large quantities of slag. Features in this area included a clay floor, 4m by 2.75m, which appeared to have been bounded by a stone wall. Further to the southwest, near the road from Rathmolyon to Scurlockstown, were two features sealed by a layer containing 13th-century pottery. One was a shallow square pit containing a large quantity of charcoal and slag and at least two phases of stake-holes. Nearby was a hearth with a small flat stone structure at its core, comprising layers of burnt clay and ash with some charcoal. A number of stake-holes were also found here.
On the opposite side of the Rathmolyon–Scurlockstown road, a number of scattered hearths and drains or gullies were found, along with traces of a stone structure with cobbled floor. Some of these may have related to a nursery shown on the first edition of the 6-inch OS maps.
A fulacht fiadh was excavated 1500m to the north of the main site. It consisted of a burnt spread 7.7m by 2.3m, with two 'troughs' comprising oval, round-bottomed pits.
13 Wainsfort Crescent, Dublin 6W
