County: Galway Site name: CARAUN MORE
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A024/30, E2074
Author: Nora Bermingham, for CRDS Ltd.
Site type: Burnt mound
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 564041m, N 725343m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.277192, -8.539153
The excavation in Caraun More was part of the archaeological investigations associated with the proposed N6 Galway to Ballinasloe road scheme. The site was detected during test-trenching and was excavated during February 2006. Work was commissioned by Galway County Council and the National Roads Design Office and sponsored by the National Roads Authority.
This site comprises one burnt mound situated on the east-facing slope of a shallow depression, within an area of low-lying hillocks. This mound is a relatively small and simple deposit representative of small-scale local activities, including the collection and burning of firewood and the extraction and heating of stone and probably water. There is little evidence for other types of on-site activity, although the few animal bones recovered might suggest the site served domestic/agricultural needs. There were no pits or trough found in association with the mound. The mound exhibits little internal stratigraphy, which might suggest phasing or repeated use over a period of time. A single horizon of redeposited material may indicate multiple episodes of use but it is unlikely that there was any significant time lag between episodes.
The mound appears to have been deliberately sited with respect to the local topography, and is located on the line of a former stream course. The ground surface appears to have been prepared in advance of depositing the firing/heating residue (i.e. heat-shattered stone and charcoal). It is likely that the stream course which the mound overlies was filled by the time the mound was deposited, but the location continued to play a significant role in local drainage. The natural topography would have funnelled water into the wet flush and may thus have provided an easily accessible water supply attractive to those who left the mound in place.
The burnt mound can be viewed as one of a series of potentially prehistoric sites in the townland of Caraun More. It differs somewhat from neighbouring burnt mounds, in that no trough or other features were found, and appears to have been clearly sited to take advantage of pre-existing drainage.
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