County: Laois Site name: Addergoole 2
Sites and Monuments Record No.: - Licence number: A015/104, E2213
Author: John Lynch, for Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd, Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth.
Site type: Burnt-mound spread
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 633680m, N 675751m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.831660, -7.500186
An excavation was carried out, in response to an assessment in advance of the proposed M7 Portlaoise to Castletown/M8 Portlaoise to Cullahill motorway scheme, between May and June 2006. The work was carried out on behalf of Laois County Council and the National Roads Authority.
Addergoole 2 was identified as the remains of a fulacht fiadh following the assessment of Testing Area 11. Contract 1 of the project incorporated the Portlaoise to Cullahill section of the scheme, consisting of c. 14km of motorway that extends from Aghaboe to south of Cullahill through the townlands from Gortnaclea to Oldtown. Addergoole 2 was located to the east of a small stream.
Topsoil-stripping on this site revealed a burnt-mound spread of firm brown/black charcoal-rich deposit with frequent heat-affected stones. A number of features including three troughs were found beneath the burnt-mound spread. A subrectangular trough (2m by 1.3m by 0.85m) with sub-rounded corners was filled with loose, black, charcoal-rich sandy clay with frequent burnt limestone. A series of stake-holes formed an elongated oval shape and lay to the west of the trough. A sub-rounded trough (3.4m by 1.9m by 0.3m) was filled with firm black charcoal-rich deposit with frequent heat-affected limestone and moderate sandstone. A sub-oval trough (1.02m by 0.99m by 0.28m) contained soft brown silty sand with occasional stones and charcoal.
The natural deposition of white palaeochannel from the nearby stream both pre-dated and sealed the site.
All of the samples from this site have yet to be analysed.
