County: Limerick Site name: COONAGH WEST
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A005/2020
Author: Fiona Reilly, for TVAS (Ireland) Ltd.
Site type: Burnt spread and Pit
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 552935m, N 657098m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.663024, -8.695743
The site was located at the edge of alluvium deposits that spread towards the River Shannon. Topsoil and modern made-up ground up to 0.5m thick overlay the southern end of the site. Two distinct areas of activity were identified.
In the northern area a spread of crushed sandstone was found adjacent to a subcircular pit that measured 1.06m by 1.4m and was 0.41m deep. Once its two fills had been excavated, the pit naturally filled with water. This pit may have acted as a sump for fresh ground-water. An adjacent stone spread may have been deliberately laid in order to access the pit.
In the southern area a large spread of burnt limestone and sandstone (13m by at least 7.3m and 0.4m thick) was found. The spread was made up of two main deposits of stone. The southern part of the spread had a higher concentration of charcoal, while the northern deposit had little or no charcoal and also had a high proportion of limestone. Both stone deposits continued into the baulk. No archaeological features were found below or in the vicinity of the spreads.
A quantity of potentially struck chert was found, largely from the surface of the site. Since post-excavation work is ongoing, further discussion is not possible at present.
Ahish, Ballinruan, Crusheen, Co. Clare
