County: Offaly Site name: BANAGHER: Site 1, Inner Relief Road
Sites and Monuments Record No.: OF021–003 AND OF029–005 Licence number: 06E0301
Author: Paul Stevens, for The Archaeology Company
Site type: Burnt mound and Pit
Period/Dating: Bronze Age (2200 BC-801 BC)
ITM: E 600310m, N 715112m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.186464, -7.995351
Excavation was carried out in April and May 2006 for Offaly County Council in advance of a proposed inner relief road development for Banagher town, adjacent to the zone of archaeological potential for the town. Previous assessment and centreline test-trenching by Michael Tierney in 2005 (05E1436) had revealed a possible burnt-mound site adjacent to a natural spring. As preservation in situ was not possible, full excavation was required by the licensing authorities.
Excavation revealed a number of features across the western terminus of the proposed road, including a large burnt mound of possible Bronze Age date, of c. 15m diameter, positioned on a steep slope truncated by a boundary ditch and road. The predominantly limestone mound covered ten pits or troughs, largely circular in plan and concave in profile. No artefacts were recovered to date this site, although a struck chert lithic was recovered from the mound. Unusually, the mound was largely fire-cracked limestone.
Overlying the mound was a layer of soot and thirteen spreads of ash, positioned roughly in a circle. This feature was revealed to be evidence of clearance fire for the construction of the road and field boundary that truncated the site. A sizeable quantity of post-medieval pottery was also recovered from this phase of activity, as well as a fine stone-lined ditch to the road.
Further east, 220m from the burnt mound, were other similar ash deposits and burnt features. However, one large pit in the vicinity produced a polished and perforated boar’s tusk pendant. It is unclear if this was related to the burnt mound activity.
Birr Technology Centre, Mill Island, Birr, Co. Offaly
