2007:1608 - Carrigatogher (Harding), Tipperary

This site was excavated in advance of the N7 Nenagh to Limerick road project at Chainage 25150. Excavations were carried out between 6 July and 24 October 2006. The site was located in the foothills of the Arra Mountains. Although generally the area is an east-facing hillside, the specific topography of the site was a small north-east to south-west-aligned valley with a stream flowing along the base, through the centre of the site. The stream had been machine rectified but essentially followed its natural route. The land on the north-east side of the stream sloped steeply down to the valley bottom, whilst on the south-western side the slope was less severe. A natural glacial gravel mound was a prominent feature in this part of the site. A ditch along the side of the minor road that formed the south-western edge of the site probably represents the location of another natural stream, also flowing south-east.
A large number of archaeological features were excavated and these relate to several phases of activity. The features include a fulacht fiadh, various enclosure ditches, graves, a structure, a kiln, ironworking waste, pits, post-holes and wall foundations. At this stage it is not possible to determine the dates of all the features or phases; however, stratigraphic relationships were seen between some of the elements, providing initial phasing evidence.
It is likely that the earliest phase of activity is represented by a fulacht fiadh that may be prehistoric in date. Certainly the destruction of this monument pre-dates one of the phases of the enclosure that is thought to be early medieval in date. The remaining features probably represent various phases of early medieval use of the site, although some are post-medieval in date.
Fulacht fiadh
A fulacht fiadh was located at the eastern edge of the site extending beyond the limits of the CPO. It was located on a north-facing slope and the rectified stream ran along its north-east edge. This site comprised a large sub-oval ‘dump’ of burnt stone and associated deposits, measuring c. 20m in diameter and 3.8m in depth, filling a natural hollow. These deposits pre-date one of the enclosure ditches (see below).
The upper levels of burnt stone were cut by pits, a post-hole and a linear feature. The bulk of the deposits was rich in charcoal and heat-affected stone and was interpreted as upcast from a fire or trough. These deposits were interlaid with waterborne deposits, natural silting, etc.
The burnt-stone deposits overlay and filled a number of cut features. These features seem to be located within a more expansive cut interpreted as an attempt to deepen the ancient ground surface. Excavation exposed two parallel lines of stones set on edge (aligned north-east/south-west). This structure was 1.36–1.82m long and 0.1–0.8m high. The distance between the inner edges of the lines was 0.5m. These stones were found to be sitting in another upcast-like deposit which in turn filled a multi-phased (recut) trough. Overall the trough feature measured 4m by 2m and was 0.1–0.6m deep with a varied profile. Four stake-holes were cut into the base along its southern edge. One stake-hole and two post-holes were recorded outside of, but close to, the trough edge. These features, along with the stake-holes at the base of the trough, may have supported a spit-like arrangement, a canopy or a windbreak.
A level deposit of stone located to the north-east of the trough was interpreted as a possible walkway/working platform. This deposit measures c. 2.1m by 1.22m and was 0.15m thick. A U-shaped arrangement of six post-holes was located c. 1m north-east of the trough. The internal diameter of this possible structure was 1.9m. This structure may relate to the earlier phases of trough activity. An isolated pit was excavated 8.5m south-east of the trough. This feature was subcircular in plan with a ‘pot-like’ profile and flat base. It measured 0.72m by 0.62m and was 0.26m deep. This pit may have been used for cooking.
Finds included fragments of possible worked wood from the post-holes and hearth clay with attached slag recovered from the uppermost burnt-stone deposit.
Enclosure ditches
A 38m by 29m oval ditched enclosure surrounded the natural gravel mound in the centre of the site. This is thought to be the earliest phase of the monument and enclosed 900m2. A 3m-wide entrance at the south-west faced towards the local road, perhaps suggesting that this route is of some antiquity. The enclosure ditch was 1.3–3.1m wide and 0.65–1.5m deep with a U-shaped profile. The lower ditch fills were natural in origin, being gravelly silts at the south and waterlogged peat on the north next to the stream; however, these deposits were overlain in most places by a layer of redeposited natural that tipped down from the inside of the enclosure. It would appear that the bank was deliberately levelled at some stage, pushing the material into the half-filled ditch.
An extension was later added to the eastern side of the enclosure, and it is this ditch that truncated the edge of the material overlaying the burnt stone at the east of the site. The new ditch enclosed an additional 23m by 6.3m D-shaped area adjacent to the stream. This ditch was 1.4–2.4m wide and 1.05–1.7m deep with a U-shaped profile. Two short lengths of stone wall foundation were excavated on either side of this ditch and in one place along its length the ditch was cut to create a subrectangular water reservoir.
The final phase of the enclosure was the excavation of an outer ditch. This ditch truncated the extension ditch on the western side, naturally infilled by this time. This outer enclosure did not form a complete circuit, being open on the south-western side where it terminated against the stream that is now at the edge of the local road. Although the ditch extended outside the excavated area on the north-western side it appears that the enclosed area had an internal diameter of c. 65m and incorporated part of the stream in the centre of the site. The ditch was 1.4–3.5m wide and 0.25–1.57m deep with a V-shaped profile. The ditch was deepest at the east but in places at the west and north evidence could be seen of a recut on the same alignment.
At the extreme western end of the site a curvilinear stretch of ditch was excavated. This feature continued outside the excavated area to the north but was parallel to the outer enclosure ditch and may possibly represent a further enclosing element. No corresponding ditch was found on the north or western parts of the site.
Between the inner and outer enclosure ditches, on the south side, four narrow gullies indicate subdivisions of the land, such as into small paddocks.
Cemeteries
Within the inner enclosure, surrounded on two sides by an L-shaped gully and on a third by a line of post-holes, was a cemetery consisting of at least 55 graves. The acidic nature of the soil meant that no skeletal remains survived but the regular elongated pits appeared to be carefully laid out and almost certainly represent inhumation burials. The graves were 0.6–2.5m long, 0.2–0.75m wide and 0.07–0.42m deep with regular, carefully excavated cuts and fairly sterile fills. In the base of some features chip marks could be seen on boulders, indicating the use of picks to excavate the graves. Most of the graves were aligned west-south-west/east-north-east; however, a small number were positioned perpendicular to this alignment and indeed intercut the other graves. It is not known with which phase of use of the enclosure the burials are contemporary.
Between the inner and outer enclosure on the south side were at least ten further graves. These features were generally far less regular in shape or size and one appeared to be a double grave. The most substantial example measured 2.15m by 0.65m, was 0.33m deep and was lined with stone slabs. Small amounts of human bone, largely tooth enamel, survived in these features and it is probable that they represent later activity, perhaps post-medieval burials placed near to the earlier cemetery of which there was some memory at the time. There is, however, no modern-day local knowledge of a cillín on the site.
Structure
Between the inner and outer enclosure ditches on the west was evidence of a rectangular building measuring c. 12m by 5m. The long axis of the structure was aligned south-west to north-east and the north-western side was marked by a slot-trench, up to 1m wide and 0.5m deep. A regular arrangement of fifteen post-holes and some smaller footing trenches represented the remainder of the structure. Three other post-holes and two trenches on the north-eastern corner may also represent part of the building or an attached structure. A deposit that contained small fragments of slag and vitrified clay covered the remains of the building, perhaps indicating some industrial function for the structure.
Kiln
Outside the outer enclosure, towards the southern corner of the site, was a corn-drying kiln. The 6.4m-long kiln was lined with rough sandstone blocks and its flue was aligned to the south-west. The flue was 0.65m wide and the chamber 1.6m in diameter and 0.6m deep. The kiln contained a large amount of charred plant material including carbonised cereal grains.
Ironworking
On the north-eastern bank of the stream, inside the outer enclosure, was a large dump of ironworking waste. This spread measured 8m by 3.9m and was up to 0.3m thick. Although several tuyères, hearth bottoms and fragments of furnace or hearth wall were included amongst the iron slag waste, no evidence of hearth or furnace bases was found beneath the spread and it appears that the waste was moved from another location prior to being dumped.
Two small furnace bases were also excavated in the area between the inner and outer enclosure ditches on the south of the site.
Other features
Numerous hearths, pits, post- and stake-holes and a small number of linear features were excavated both inside and outside the enclosures, with a particular concentration between the inner and outer ditches on the north, close to the dump of ironworking waste.
Later features
At least one ditch and a small number of pits and post-holes produced post-medieval artefactual material.
Finds
The finds from the site have not been examined in detail; however, they include two small blue glass beads from the inner enclosure ditch, three stone discs, a pin-sharpening stone, hammerstones, a copper-alloy pin, iron objects, struck flint/chert, coarse pottery, worked wood (mostly stakes) and, intriguingly, a waterlogged fruit that has the appearance of a plum.
Post-excavation analysis will doubtless enhance the interpretation of this site, which contained evidence of a range of activities, domestic, industrial and funerary, spanning the prehistoric, early medieval and post-medieval periods. It is recommended that the remainder of the site outside the CPO be entered into the RMP for County Tipperary.

Editor’s note: Although excavated during 2006, the report on this site arrived too late for inclusion in the bulletin of that year.