County: Offaly Site name: Clonminch 1
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A033; E2851
Author: Linda Hegarty, Headland Archaeology, Unit 25, Liosbaun Industrial Estate, Tuam Road, Galway.
Site type: Possible hearth
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 634118m, N 722682m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.253402, -7.488718
Clonminch 1 is located c. 1.5km south of Tullamore in gently undulating farmland under pasture at the time of testing.
A spread of charcoal-rich silt and oxidised clay was identified 47m from the western end of the centre-line trench and was excavated in February 2007. This was a subcircular deposit of compact charcoal-rich sandy silt with frequent inclusions of burnt clay and an area of oxidisation at its centre. It measured 1.5m east–west by 1.4m and was 0.05m deep. An area measuring 4m by 4m was opened around the feature but no further archaeological deposits were identified. A small sample was recovered for environmental analysis.
