County: Laois Site name: SPRINGFIELD AND GORTNAGROAGH
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A015/13
Author: Anne-Marie Lennon, for Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd, Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth.
Site type: Prehistoric hut site, fulachta fiadh and a scatter of pits and post-holes
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 635348m, N 686542m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.928541, -7.474267
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 1 of Contract 1. Contract 1 of the project incorporated the Portlaoise–Culahill 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 1 was located in the townland of Springfield or Knockyle, east of the R434 to Gortnagroagh, between Chainage 20700 and 21620 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. Four archaeological sites were identified in the area.
Springfield or Knockyle 1 comprises a circular hut, measuring 3.2m in diameter, truncated by a curvilinear palisade trench with several post-holes and other curvilinear features. It was located at the western end of Field 163, at Chainage 21800, on the eastern side of the R434.
Springfield or Knockyle 2 consisted of a spread of burnt or heat-cracked stone, the remains of a fulacht fiadh. It is possible that the deep cut features such as the trough or associated pits could have survived while the burnt mound itself has been levelled by agricultural practices in the past. It was located at the southern end of field 172, at Chainage 222000.
Springfield or Knockyle 3 comprised a spread of burnt or heat-cracked stone. It extended for a length of 7.5m east–west by 10m and had a depth of 0.2m. The spread is likely to have been the remains of a ploughed-out fulacht fiadh. It is located in the north-eastern corner of Field 186, at Chainage 500.
Gortnagroagh 1 consisted of several pits and post-holes located within an area measuring 12m by 15m. It is likely that further associated features may be present within the immediate location. The site is located in Field 186, at Chainage 1550 (see No. 885 above).
