County: Laois Site name: Deligabaun 1
Sites and Monuments Record No.: - Licence number: A015/123, E2232
Author: Ed Danaher, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd, 21 Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda.
Site type: Charcoal-production pit
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 630988m, N 685033m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.915242, -7.539241
This site was located within Contract 2 of the proposed M7 Portlaoise to Castletown/M8 Portlaoise to Cullahill motorway scheme and was identified during advance testing by Robert O’Hara (Excavations 2005, No. 873, A015/030). Full resolution occurred in March 2006. Deligabaun 1 comprised a sub-oval pit with dimensions of 1.93m in length, 1.36m in width and a depth of 0.2m. The base of this feature was heavily oxidised, indicative of in situ burning, while the fill contained a large quantity of charcoal. It is likely that this pit functioned as a charcoal-production pit. A later linear furrow truncated this feature. Three soil samples currently await analysis, while one charcoal sample is to be dispatched for radiocarbon analysis.
