2007:1045 - Clonagooden 1, Laois

The site at Clonagooden, Co. Laois, was discovered during Phase 1 testing along the route of the N7 Limerick to Nenagh road improvement scheme. Excavation in February 2007 revealed the presence of a possibly truncated burnt-mound site without an accompanying spread of burnt material. The shallow remains of features including a trough and associated stake-holes, pits and small spreads represent a short-lived site located in now drained, reclaimed bogland. No artefacts were recovered.
Located just beside the border with Tipperary, the site lies between the ‘County Stream’ to the west, the Quinn River to the east and the River Nore 1.5km to the north. Although it is the first recorded site in the townland, Clonagooden 1 is within close range of a number of other fulachta fiadh and burnt-mound sites. Notably also the large archaeological hilltop complex at Skirk/Newtown is visible just 1km south of here. This collection of monuments includes a megalithic structure, a henge, a standing stone, an urn burial, a mound, a souterrain and a motte and bailey (all LA021–021) and a medieval church and graveyard (LA021–010).
One cutting measuring 413m2 was investigated on the southern edge of the route corridor. The archaeological features consisted of one trough with eight associated stake-holes, five pits and four spreads grouped together on the south side of the cutting. All contained burnt-mound-type material with frequent charcoal and burnt sandstone.
The trough was dug into dense boulder clay and measured 1.98m by 1.4m by 0.37m, with its long axis orientated north-west/south-east. These dimensions are not unusual for the site type but considering the size of the trough in plan it was remarkably shallow. It is believed the trough may originally have been lined with wooden planks and a small amount of marl was smeared along one side. A number of stake-holes were cut into the flat base and at the outer corners. A small amount of the expected fill of black, charcoal-rich soil and burnt sandstone was present around the inside edges of the trough. This may represent the remains of a final use phase as the remainder of the trough was left to silt up gradually.
The trough could have filled up naturally from ground-water at a time when this area had a higher water-table. The fractured stone and high volume of charcoal present in the soil attest to the heating of sandstone in wood-fuelled hearths. No hearth was found within the confines of the excavation area although other features could exist just outside the route to the south.
The stone and charcoal-rich material made up four shallow spreads and the fills of five nearby pits. This is thought to be waste material from previous uses of the trough, which suggests it was cleaned out regularly. One of these pits was dug just beside the northern corner of the trough and measured 1.25m by 1.03m by 0.4m. Its depth suggests it may have had a previous function other than simple waste disposal. Both the trough and the pit could, for example, have held water of different temperatures.
Overall the site appears to have been used a number of times in short succession then abandoned without ceremony. Post-excavation work is currently under way and a date for this activity is not yet available. The site’s function was clearly linked with hot water and various ideas are being explored. Possible interpretations being considered range from the more traditional cooking-site theory to the Bronze Age kettle multi-function theory.