2005:849 - AGHMACART/CANNONSWOOD, Laois

An assessment was carried out in advance of the proposed M7 Portlaoise–Castletown/M8 Portlaoise–
Cullahill motorway scheme between February and June 2005. The work was carried out in March 2005 on behalf of Laois County Council and the National Roads Authority. The section described in this report is Testing Area 10 of Contract 1. Contract 1 of the project incorporated the Portlaoise–Cullahill section of the scheme, consisting of c. 14km of motorway, which extends from Aghaboe to south of Cullahill through the townlands from Gortnaclea to Oldtown. Testing Area 10 was located in the townlands of Cannonswood and between Chainage 14500 and 13300 of the proposed scheme. The assessment methodology generally consisted of mechanically excavating a 2.15m-wide test-trench along the centre-line, with perpendicular offset trenches extending to the edge of the land-take. Five archaeological sites were identified in the area.
At Aghmacart 1, two adjacent spreads of burnt-mound material were revealed to the north of Trench 75 in Field 49 and, as with the similar spread identified in Field 48, were located close to the stream that traversed this area.
At Aghmacart 2 a spread of burnt-mound material was located to the west of Trench 102 in Field 48; excavation of this spread may reveal the cut features associated with fulachta fiadh.
At Cannonswood 1, four pits, one rectangular and three circular, were exposed within Trench 21 in Field 50. Although no burnt-mound material was located close to or within these features, they resembled the cut features of a fulacht fiadh (i.e. a trough and associated pits).
At Cannonswood 2 and 3, numerous features, predominantly pits and spreads, were identified throughout a large area of Field 52. The majority contained burnt-mound material.