County: Tipperary Site name: Rossfinch
Sites and Monuments Record No.: A026/032/1–4, A026/033, A026/034, A026/035, A026/036 Licence number: E002402
Author: Aidan Harte, Aegis Archaeology Ltd, 32 Nicholas Street, King’s Island, Limerick.
Site type: Pits, linear, and possible kiln/furnace
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 573920m, N 668826m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.769841, -8.386474
Possible archaeological features were identified as part of test-trenching the proposed N7 route in early 2006, all situated on a north-east-facing slope north of Ballinahinch village. Of these, A026/032/4 (a tree bole) and A026/036, A026/032/1 and A026/035 (modern field boundary drain) were of no archaeological significance.
A026/032/2 was the most north-westerly trench opened and here a single pit was uncovered. Two relatively sterile layers filled this pit cut, which was subcircular and broad but very shallow.
Trench A026/32/3, to the south, produced seven pits and an area of burning. The pits were generally quite small and contained dark silt fills. Two pits were larger but still very shallow and contained single fills of medium/large pebbles. These could be described as ‘rock dumps’, as no other evidence was recovered due to poor preservation conditions. A single pit differed greatly from the others. This was ovate in plan and much deeper. Orientated north–south, it was deepest at the southern end, where the edges had been lined with loosely stacked stones. The feature had then filled with three deposits, the most substantial of which represented a burning episode. It is therefore likely that it functioned as a simple kiln/furnace.
A026/33 and 34 were opened together and the trench uncovered five pit features. One pit again contained pebbles and was similar to the ‘rock dumps’ found in trench A026/032/3. A single pit was of narrow rectilinear form and contained a sequence of fills containing charcoal flecks. The remaining three pits were broad, relative shallow cuts that had single fills of dark-brown silts with occasional charcoal. None have yet been assigned a final interpretation.
These trenches produced an assortment of archaeology and natural features. There were no finds recovered from any of the pits but charcoal has been sampled for dating purposes. Some of the pits were probably associated with agricultural practices, although the possible kiln/furnace does indicate an industrial element.
