County: Tipperary Site name: Ballyhisky
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E002482
Author: Markus Casey and Edel Ruttle, TVAS (Ireland) Ltd, Ahish, Ballinruan, Crusheen, Co. Clare.
Site type: Field boundary ditches, pits, post- and stake-holes
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 580229m, N 675539m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.830447, -8.293379
This site was excavated in advance of the N7 Nenagh to Limerick road project at Chainage 24125. Excavations were carried out between 22 September and 7 December 2006. The site was located in the foothills of the Arra Mountains, on an east-facing slope overlooking the Kilmastulla Valley. The site is bounded to the south-west by the townland boundary with Cloghleigh. This rectangular site measured 64m by 50m. Excavated features included linear ditches, pits, post- and stake-holes. The relationship of the field boundaries and features with each other will not be established until dating evidence is analysed.
Field boundaries
There were five linear ditches that represented field boundaries. Ditch 1, 27m long by 0.55–0.75m wide, and Ditch 2, 13m long by 0.9–0.95m wide, were aligned north to south across the site and represented a single boundary. Ditch 3, 23m long by 1m wide, and Ditch 4, 44m long by 1.27–1.52m wide, were perpendicular to the above ditches and also represented a single boundary. Ditch 5, 21m long by 0.7–1.1m wide, was aligned north-east to south-west and either post- or pre-dated Ditch 3. The field boundaries are likely to be post-medieval in date representing old field systems. There are recorded deserted post-medieval settlements in this part of the county.
Pits, post- and stake-holes
These features were scattered around the site and did not seem to follow the pattern of the field boundaries, therefore are thought to represent unrelated earlier activity. There were five areas with clusters of features.
Area 1
The largest pit in this area was 5.2m by 2.8m and 0.8m deep. The base of the pit was filled with redeposited material in which a post-hole was cut. The post-hole was aligned with another post-hole outside the pit. Four pits formed a line, but their relationship with each other is unclear. The pits ranged in size from 0.44m by 0.29m and 0.32m deep to 4.4m by 0.84m and 0.15m deep.
Area 2
The largest pit excavated in this area measured 5.3m by 1.6m by 0.29m deep and was associated with three burning pits. The pits had similar fills, but their sizes ranged from 0.84m by 0.5m and 0.12m deep to 1.5m by 0.7m and 0.21m deep. A post-hole beside the pits had a quernstone lying against the south-east side of the cut. It is possible that the quernstone was reused as a prop for the post.
Area3
In this area were three post-holes and two stake-holes that could form a possible structure or fence line; more features could exist beyond the CPO line. The largest post-hole was 0.4m by 0.28m and 0.25m deep. Both the stake-holes (0.13m in diameter and 0.1m deep) were shallow and truncated. East of the above post- and stake-holes was a line of eight stake-holes. The stake-holes were 0.08–0.16m in diameter.
Area 4
Three pits and two linear features were located in this area. The mid-sized pit measured 1.26m by 0.87m, was 0.38m deep and the fill contained two pieces of as yet unidentified prehistoric pottery. The linear features formed a single truncated ditch representing another field boundary, 4.21m long.
Area 5
A pit and a post-hole in this area lay just inside the CPO edge. The pit, measuring 0.9m by 0.5m and 0.1m deep, showed evidence of burning or possibly charcoal production.
Editor’s note: Although excavated during 2006, the report on this site arrived too late for inclusion in the bulletin of that year.
