2007:AD11 - BALLYNAMONA (1), Cork
County: Cork
Site name: BALLYNAMONA (1)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A
Licence number: E002428
Author: John Tierney, Eachtra Archaeological Projects
Author/Organisation Address: Ballycurreen Industrial Estate, Kinsale Road, Cork
Site type: Pit and Cremation pit
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 582567m, N 611513m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.255057, -8.255336
Phase 2 excavation works were undertaken, on behalf of Cork County Council, along the route of the N8 Fermoy–Mitchelstown bypass. The proposed bypass involves the construction of c. 16km of dual carriageway extending from Gortore north of Fermoy to Carrigane north-east of Mitchelstown. A programme of advance testing (Phase 1) had been carried out in October 2005, the results of which appeared in Excavations 2005.
The site at Ballynamona 1 was situated on a flat plain. The site is split into two areas covering a distance of 95m north–south. Area 1 measured 31m east–west by 25m and Area 2 measured 33m east–west by 22m. The northern extent lay c. 500m south of Ballynamona 2 (No. AD12, Excavations 2007, E2429), while the southern extent lay 650m north of Glenatlucky 1 (No. AD18, Excavations 2007, E2427).
At Area 1 nine pits were found, all containing charcoal within their fills. One pit contained heat-affected stones, indicating possible in situ burning. Two post-holes were also found near the centre of the area and a modern north-west to south-east-aligned drainage ditch ran across the area.
At Area 2 two possible cremation pits and an associated pit were discovered. One cremation contained 34 sherds of prehistoric pottery, nutshell fragments, burnt-bone fragments and charcoal. A pit, 1.67m to the north-east of this cremation, contained a single sherd of prehistoric pottery as well as charcoal. Two pits with evidence of burning were located in close proximity to these two features.
A second possible cremation pit was located 8.5m to the north-west of these features. It contained 22 sherds of prehistoric pottery and charcoal within its fill but no burnt-bone fragments. All of these features appear disturbed, possibly by later agricultural activities.
A further seven pits were also found in this area. Charcoal inclusions were recovered from the fills of the majority of these pits as well as evidence of in situ burning. One pit appeared to have evidence of waterlogging within its primary fill.
Two field boundaries were observed running parallel to one another across the area from north to south.