County: Laois Site name: Bushfield or Maghernaskeagh 3
Sites and Monuments Record No.: - Licence number: A015/115, E2224
Author: Ian Russell, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd, Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth.
Site type: Numerous unrelated features
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 629445m, N 685506m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.919579, -7.562149
This site was excavated on 21 May 2006 as part of the programme of resolution of archaeological sites on the route of the proposed M7 Portlaoise to Castletown/M8 Portlaoise to Cullahill motorway scheme. The work was carried out on behalf of Laois County Council and the National Roads Authority.
This site consisted of a small variety of features, which all had sandy clay. This included two oval pits and an archaeological spread, which all included angular stones, animal bone and burnt bone. The pits’ dimensions were 0.56–0.74m by 0.5–0.58m by 0.23m deep, and they also contained charcoal and a piece of decayed iron. The spread’s dimensions were 6m by 5m by 0.26m deep, and it also had pieces of iron slag and shell. The rest of the features included a possible structure/house foundation that measured 0.7m wide by 0.4m deep and contained three sherds of glazed pottery, a modern boundary ditch that was subrectangular in section and measured 0.94m in width with two fragments of glass, and modern plough furrows that were found across the site. The natural subsoil consisted of orange sandy clay, while the topsoil had dark-brown clay, 0.38m in depth.
Samples and finds from this site are currently undergoing analysis.
