County: Tipperary Site name: Ballyhomuck
Sites and Monuments Record No.: - Licence number: 06E1209
Author: Maurice F. Hurley, 6 Clarence Court, St Luke’s, Cork.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 627097m, N 636743m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.481441, -7.601075
It was proposed to build a new house in a field (formerly an orchard) to the north-east of a farmyard in Ballyhomuck townland near the village of Cloneen, Co. Tipperary. An assessment was prepared on foot of a request for further information and as part of this test-trenches were also excavated.
The site of the proposed house, garage and driveway were tested. In all, five trenches were excavated. The natural topography fell into two areas: the greater part of the site was relatively level land, where c. 0.5m of homogenous brown topsoil overlies grey/yellow clay subsoil. At the southern end of the entrance driveway the ground sloped from south to north and in this area c. 0.3m of topsoil overlay an area of rock and large boulders. In common with tradition over much of rural Ireland, the orchard was used as a burial-ground for farm animals and pets. This was both a matter of convenience and recognition of the value of carcasses for the sustenance of fruit trees.
No finds or features of archaeological significance were recorded.
