County: Roscommon Site name: Taduff East 1
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E003271
Author: Gary Conboy, Valerie J. Keeley Ltd, Brehon House, Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny.
Site type: Burnt mounds
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 587491m, N 764214m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.627591, -8.189096
The site of Taduff East was excavated as part of the N6 Ballinasloe to Athlone national road scheme. Work was commissioned by Galway County Council and funded by the National Roads Authority.
The site consisted of two burnt mounds and associated features. The more substantial burnt mound was located in the north-eastern area of the site and measured 9.2m (north–south) by 6.85m and 0.4m in maximum depth. Two troughs were discovered underlying the mound: a circular trough measuring 1.45m in diameter and 0.22m in depth and, 3m to the south, a rectangular trough which appeared to be truncated on its western edge. This trough measured 1.35m (north–south) by 2.2m and 0.25m in depth. When the fill was removed seventeen stake-holes were discovered at the base, concentrated in the four corners and sides of the trough. The stake-holes were on average 0.11m in diameter and 0.12m in depth.
The second mound was located in the southern part of the site and was relatively poorly preserved. The mound measured 5.4m (north–south) by 4.3m and 0.16m in maximum depth. No archaeological features underlay the mound, although two troughs were excavated directly to the north of it. One was a large subcircular trough measuring 1.65m (north–south) by 1.95m and 0.46m in depth, the other a kidney-shaped trough measuring 1.25m (north–south) by 1.15m and 0.4m in depth.
Post-excavation work is ongoing and any interpretations are preliminary.
