2005:272 - KNOCKERAGH, Cork

A test excavation was carried out at Knockeragh, Tullylease, prior to the construction of a dwelling house. The house site is situated within the constraint zone of a linear earthwork known as the Cliadh Dubh. Two test-trenches were placed north–south and east–west across the entire area of the site. The north–south trench incorporated the full length of the driveway and the width of the proposed house. The east–west trench extended from the western boundary across the footprint of the house as far as the eastern limit of the site. A third trench was placed along the length of the percolation area situated to the rear of the proposed dwelling house. The A-horizon was removed with a wide toothless bucket to the top of the subsoil. The topsoil cover was quite thin across the site and rarely exceeded 0.3m in depth. It overlay a firm stone-free bright orange boulder clay. No archaeological features or finds were noted on the exposed surface. Trenching in the percolation area also revealed an undisturbed soil profile similar to that observed in the area of the house and the driveway.