County: Offaly Site name: Russagh 2
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A016/057; E2683
Author: Ellen O’Carroll, Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd, 120B Greenpark Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow.
Site type: Post-medieval burnt spread and pit
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 626293m, N 737554m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.387497, -7.604746
Testing was carried out as part of an archaeological mitigation programme associated with the N6 Kilbeggan to Athlone dual carriageway. The site was identified during testing undertaken by Yvonne Whitty of IAC Ltd in July 2005 (A016/029). The site was excavated in March 2006. An excavation area measuring 15m by 15m was opened.
The site consisted of a burnt spread, a charcoal-rich pit and a field boundary. The pit was 2.2m long, 1.1m wide and 0.22m deep and contained charcoal-rich clay with fragments of red brick. A large quantity of post-medieval finds were recovered from the topsoil in the vicinity of these features, including c. 80 sherds of post-medieval pottery and a 17th-century coin.
This work was funded by Westmeath County Council and the National Roads Authority.
Editor’s note: Although excavated during 2006, the report on this site arrived too late for inclusion in the bulletin of that year.
