2007:1606 - Carrigatogher (Abbott), Tipperary

This site was excavated in advance of the N7 Nenagh to Limerick road project at Chainage 24770 to 25110. Excavations were carried out between 6 September and 27 October 2006. Two separate and unrelated areas (A and B) were investigated over a 350m-long stretch of the road-take on the east-facing lower slopes of the Arra Mountains, overlooking the Kilmastulla Valley. The site was bounded to the north-east by a minor road.
Area A
This area contained a round house with associated features, burnt deposits with associated features and post-medieval ditches, pits and post-holes.
A roughly D-shaped round house (6.9m by 8.8m) was located on flat ground at the north-west edge of the site. Its limits were defined by a narrow U-profiled slot (0.2m wide and 0.1m deep) filled with silty/sandy clay, occasional stone packing and charcoal. Although there is no definite evidence at present it is probable that the slot supported plank walling. The slot was continuous apart from a north-west break and a south-east entrance. The entrance was defined by two stone-packed post-holes (0.7–1m by 0.7m and 0.55–0.58m deep) flanking a 0.4m-wide gap. A number of post-hole/pits and stake-holes located inside the entrance may have formed an entrance feature.
The interior of the round house (6.7m by 8.6m) contained pits, post-holes (average diameter 0.37m and depth 0.28m) and stake-holes. Double lines of post-/stake-holes occurred at the south-west and north-east edges of the interior. Such alignments may have formed passageways or aided wall/roof support. Post-holes located at the north-east edge and along the north–south axis may also have provided structural support. Two clusters of stake-holes were noted in the north-east area of the interior. These features may have aided roof support or provided light partitioning within the interior. Some of the post-holes contained charcoal and seeds and/or stone packing. Charcoal and traces of burnt bone were recovered from the stake-hole fills. Seven probable pits were excavated in the interior. One of these was cut into the north-west portion of the enclosing slot. The other pits were mostly irregular in shape and shallow. Traces of possible cobbled surfaces were also noted, partially obliterating the slot in the south-east and also located immediately outside the slot in the north-east.
A number of pits, post-holes, post-hole/pits and stake-holes were located to the west, south, south-west and north-east of the round house. These features may represent exterior working/storage/
dump areas or annexes to the main structure. Of particular interest were three pits located to the south-east, which produced a piece of flint, a sherd of possible prehistoric pottery and a charcoal-rich deposit with possible burnt-bone inclusions. These features may signify a food preparation area. A sub-square pit and stake-hole were located 10m south-west of the round house. To the south of the house was a hillwash deposit which contained sherds of probable prehistoric pottery. This deposit may yet prove to be contemporary with the round house.
A probable metalworking area was situated 35m to the south-west. Features included a burnt deposit which produced slag and a piece of possible prehistoric pottery. Pits (some charcoal-rich; one produced slag), post-holes and a stake-hole were excavated near this deposit.
Probable post-medieval ditches spanned the north-east end of the site and a number of pits and post-holes interspersed with these features may also be post-medieval/modern in date.
Finds from the site include sherds of probable prehistoric pottery, slag, burnt bone, quernstone fragments and a number of post-medieval items.
Area B
Area B was located south-west of Area A and contained a ditched enclosure with internal pits, post-holes and a bowl furnace and external features, including a curvilinear gully. In the absence of dating evidence it is as yet unknown if these different elements represent a single phase of activity.
Enclosure
The enclosure was subrectangular in plan with an internal diameter of 29m. The enclosure ditch was uniformly U-shaped in profile, 1.5–2m wide and 0.5–0.8m deep. The main entrance to the enclosure was at the east; it was 4m wide and was defined by lines of stake- and post-holes (fences?). There was a smaller 0.5m gap at the north-west of the enclosure defined by two pits at the terminus of the ditch. The primary deposit in the ditch occurred by natural silting. A secondary deposit was only present in the south-eastern section of the ditch where it was at its deepest. The tertiary deposit was much richer in composition.
The fence lines at the enclosure entrance were formed by 30 stake-holes on one side and six post-holes on the other side of the entrance. The stake-holes were 0.06–0.26m in diameter and 0.1–0.17m deep whilst the post-holes measured 0.24–0.85m across and 0.13–0.26m deep. The fence lines could have been used for ‘funnelling’ animals into the enclosure.
Inside the enclosure a distinct group of post-holes, ranging in size from 0.55m to 1.56m across, may represent the remains of a 6m by 5m structure. A circular formation of stake-holes formed a separate area of activity. A cluster of six pits formed an area 6m by 3.5m. The pits were mostly circular and 0.3–0.97m across.
The first evidence of metalworking at the site was a large oval pit, 1.3m by 1m, which contained cemented reddish clay formed after continuous burning. The pit was later cut by a bowl furnace and a linear feature. The bowl furnace was circular, 0.8m in diameter and 0.3m deep. The furnace was clay-lined and was filled with a very soft black mix of ash, charcoal and silt. Slag collected at the base and sides of the furnace. The furnace was deliberately backfilled with sand containing stones, slag and burnt clay. The linear feature was 1.6m long, sloped downhill and slag and burnt clay were mixed into its fill.
Five pits lay outside the enclosure ditch to the south-west and together may form an area of industrial activity. One pit was shallow and had what looked like a flue extending from it which contained possible burnt clay. The pits contained dark-reddish clay deposits with charcoal and burnt bone present in the majority.
There was a curvilinear gully to the south-west of the main enclosure. The gully was fairly regular, 13m long, 0.5–0.9m wide and 0.16–0.33m deep with a concave profile.
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Editor’s note: Although excavated during 2006, the report on this site arrived too late for inclusion in the bulletin of that year.