2007:1567 - Annaholty, Tipperary

This site was excavated in advance of the N7 Nenagh to Limerick road project at Chainage 8800–8880. Excavations were carried out on 6–30 March 2007. The excavated areas were located north-east of E2313 (fulacht fiadh, No. 1562 above), E2314 (burnt mound, No. 1563 above) and E3530 (wooden trackway, No. 1568 below), and south-west of E2315 (Annaholty 4, fulacht fiadh). The new N7 traverses a gently undulating landscape of lowland pasture broken only by a large area of peat basin straddling the border between counties Limerick and Tipperary. Site E3326 was located within this peat basin, specifically at the base of a hill, within an area of extremely deep soft peat. The area is overlooked by the Silvermines Mountains to the east. Two separate areas were excavated (A and B).
Area A
Area A was the larger and more impressive of the two sites. The excavated area was 1504.943m2 and contained a classic fulacht fiadh comprising a crescent-shaped burnt-stone mound with associated pits and deposits. The termini of the crescent closed to the west. The mound was located on a gentle north-west-facing slope which gradually rises to a steep hill. The south and west edges of the stripped area were subject to serious flooding from underground sources and nearby road construction.
In total, seven cut features and twenty deposits were recorded. The cuts consisted of a trough, a possible well, a pit containing burnt bone and four other pits. The deposits included mound deposits, pit fills and natural deposits.
The mound measured c. 18.4m (north to south) by 16.4m. Removal of a dark-brown peat exposed a loose friable black (brown hue) coarse sandy silt with frequent inclusions of heat-affected fractured stone and moderate inclusions of charcoal. This deposit formed the bulk of the mound material. A firm black charcoal-rich silty deposit with occasional stone inclusions also underlay the peat. A loose black (brown hue) silty clay containing frequent stone and moderate peat and charcoal inclusions underlay both the main mound deposit and the firm silty deposit. The main mound deposit overlay redeposited natural clay and other sand/silt/clay deposits, some of which contained heat-affected stone and charcoal.
A depression noted at the inner curve of the ‘crescent’ marked the position of a centrally located timber-based trough. The trough had an irregular shape in plan with straight sides, rounded eastern end and straight west end; its profile was sharp at the top with almost vertical sides (occasionally stepped) falling gradually to an almost flat base. The trough measured 3.3m by 1.1–2m and was 0.5m deep. The main mound deposit overlay and formed the uppermost fill of the trough. The secondary fill consisted of moderately compact black (dark-brown hue) clayey silt with moderate inclusions of decaying stone and charcoal, whilst the primary fill was a compact grey clay within which was a poorly preserved timber base.
Another pit was located c. 0.6m east of the trough. This feature was keyhole-shaped in plan comprising a subcircular pit with a narrow linear protrusion or gully which led towards the trough. The pit had a bowl-shaped profile while the ‘gully’ had a sharper shallower profile. The entire feature measured 4.2m by 3m and was 0.7m deep. The feature may have been a well, sourcing water for the trough. Underneath the aforementioned silty deposit was the fill of the gully which comprised a loose black (mid-grey hue) clayey silt with occasional heat-affected stone inclusions. This deposit overlay the primary fill of the ‘well’, a compact mid-grey silty clay with occasional stone inclusions.
Some smaller spreads of burnt stones were recorded to the south and west of the main deposit. These deposits may represent displaced mound material or scattered remnants of the original extent of the mound. Two of these deposits were interpreted as pit fills but these ‘cuts’ could just as easily be natural hollows which have filled with mound material. Three other cuts were recorded in the vicinity of the mound, two of which were filled with the main mound deposit, while the third cut was filled with redeposited natural. These cuts may represent failed attempts at pit/trough construction or again may just be natural hollows/stone sockets.
A small regularly shaped circular pit (0.54m by 0.56m) was excavated 11m east of the mound. This pit had a bowl-shaped profile and was filled with a very soft black (grey hue) charcoal-rich silty fill. Fragments of possible burnt bone were retrieved from the pit fill and its function is uncertain.
Twelve finds came from this site. They include possibly worked, albeit-poor quality, timber fragments from the base of the trough and a possible hammerstone, also from the trough fill. An earthenware jar and glass bottle were recovered from the topsoil during stripping.
Area B
Area B was located to the south-west of Area A on a higher, steeper north-facing slope overlooking its neighbour. This site covered an area of 370.8m2 and consisted of a much smaller burnt-stone spread with associated features. The lower north-east corner of the site was subject to continuous flooding.
Two cuts and six deposits were recorded here. The cuts consisted of a trough and shallow pit. The deposits included burnt-spread deposits, pit fills and natural deposits.
The mound measured 10.5m (north-west to south-east) by 7.5m and was topped by a dark-brown peaty deposit similar to that overlying the mound in Area A. The deposit which formed the bulk of the spread consisted of loose friable black (brown hue with yellow and red flecks) sandy silt with inclusions of frequent heat-affected stones and occasional charcoal. A soft black (brown hue) silty clay with similar but less inclusions underlay the main deposit and also formed the main fill of the underlying pit. This possible trough measured 3.3m by 1.7m and was rounded but irregular in plan. The pit was 0.35m deep and its north to south profile was bowl-shaped while the profile of its longer axis sloped from the west down to the east.
A smaller similar deposit was encountered to the south of the main burnt-stone deposit. This deposit was interpreted as displaced mound material or the remains of the original extent of the mound. A small possible pit located immediately north of this smaller deposit pit measured 1.9m by 1m and was 0.16m deep. The pit was ovoid in plan with vertical sides and an irregular base which sloped down from south to north, following the slope of the hill. This pit was filled with a dark-brown peaty deposit with stone inclusions.
No finds were encountered at Area B.