County: Laois Site name: CURRAGH (2)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A015/144, E2249
Author: Eamonn Cotter, for Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd.
Site type: Fulacht fia, Cremation pit and Habitation site
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 634382m, N 680583m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.875042, -7.489261
The site was excavated in March–April 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. It was located 50m to the west of a fulacht fiadh at Tintore 1 (see No. 1190, Excavations 2006) and 80m north of a Bronze Age enclosure and Tintore 2 (see No. 1191, Excavations 2006).
Two distinct periods of activity were recorded. A fulacht fiadh was located in the north-eastern corner of the site, comprising a spread of burnt stone measuring 15m by 8m and up to 0.7m deep. Nine pits were located beneath the spread. These were generally circular in plan and measured 1.5–2m in diameter and 0.2–0.7m in depth. All were filled with material similar to that of the surface spread, containing a high content of burnt stone. A quantity of cremated bone was recovered from a small pit on the eastern side of the site. A similar cremation pit was excavated c. 150m to the south, near the Bronze Age enclosure at Tintore 2.
In addition to the fulacht fiadh, there was evidence of post-medieval settlement on the site in the form of several shallow linear ditches and a small assemblage of post-medieval artefacts. These features are interpreted as a post-medieval farmyard enclosure comprising shallow ditches c. 0.7m wide and 0.3m deep with a 1.6m-wide entrance to the north-west, marked by double post-holes on each side. A quantity of animal bone was recovered from one of the ditches. Though some post-holes were excavated within the enclosure, no definite evidence of a structure was found.
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