County: Mayo Site name: GRALLAGH
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 05E0740
Author: Deirdre Murphy, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd.
Site type: Burnt mound
Period/Dating: Bronze Age (2200 BC-801 BC)
ITM: E 549672m, N 776811m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.738519, -8.762836
The site was excavated in July 2005 as part of the programme of resolution of archaeological sites on the route of the proposed Galway–Mayo gas pipeline. It was located in an area of bogland where two additional burnt-mound spreads were identified during monitoring of topsoil-stripping along this scheme. The site comprised a burnt-mound spread with dimensions of 7m by 15m by 0.3m.
The spread consisted of fire-cracked limestone and sealed two large troughs and three shallow pits. All features were clustered in an area measuring less than 4m by 5m. The troughs were subrectangular in shape, measuring 2.25m by 1.75m by 0.42m and 2.75m by 1.53m by 0.35m respectively. There was no evidence of lining and they consisted of simple cuts into the subsoil. Two of the pits were rectangular and measured 2m by 1.25m and 2.2m by 1m; the third pit was subcircular, with a diameter of 1.5m. The latter pit contained a chert scraper within its fill.
This site is probably Bronze Age and dating of the features awaits the results of radiocarbon analysis.
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