2007:1571 - Ballinteenoe, Tipperary

This site was excavated in advance of the N7 Nenagh to Limerick road project at Chainage 17960. Excavations were carried out on 1–26 February 2007. The 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. The region is overlooked by the Silvermines Mountains to the east and the Arra Mountains to the north and west. Site E2902 was located at the base of a slope within undulating pastureland beneath the Arra Mountains.
The excavated area covered 527m2. The site was dominated by a dark-grey/black charcoal-flecked spread of heat-affected stone, partially filling a natural hollow. The spread measured c. 3m by 1.4m and was clipped on its northern side by a modern stone-lined drain.
The spread partially covered two pits. The largest of these, most likely a trough, was sub-square, measured 1.8m by 1.6m and was 0.65m deep with a bowl-shaped profile. The trough contained grey/black charcoal-flecked silty clay with heat-affected stone. Four stake-holes were cut into the sides of the trough, near the base. Three of the stake-holes were cut into the north side, while the fourth was cut into the south-east side. The stake-holes may have supported a portable container or represent the remains of a wooden base/lining. Another pit, 0.8m west of the trough, was sub-oval in plan with a rounded profile, measured 0.83m by 0.8m and was 0.15–0.3m deep. The pit fill was dark-grey/black silty clay with charcoal and decayed stone content.
An oval cut with a rounded profile measuring 0.4m by 0.55m and 0.12m deep was located 2m south-west of the trough. This pit contained two fills, a primary deposit of dark-grey sandy silt with stones and a final deposit of grey silty sand with stones. Another oval pit with a rounded profile, measuring 0.35m by 0.33m and 0.16m deep, was located c. 2.5m further south. This pit was filled with black, charcoal-rich silty sand. A subcircular cut with rounded profile was located another 10m to the south-east. This pit was filled with brown sandy clay with charcoal and stone inclusions. These have been interpreted as pits associated with burnt-spread/trough activity. They could alternatively represent displaced mound material filling natural hollows/stone sockets, or scattered remnants of the original extent of the spread. The spread had obviously been disturbed by modern drainage activity.
No finds were recovered from the site.
This site is one of many examples of burnt-spread/fulacht fiadh activity encountered along the route of this scheme. A fulacht fiadh (TN025–052) is already known from this townland.