County: Tipperary Site name: Coolderry
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E002317
Author: Patricia Long, Headland Archaeology Ltd, Unit 1 Wallingstown Business Park. Little Island, Cork.
Site type: Fulacht fiadh
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 571813m, N 666891m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.752348, -8.417524
Archaeological investigations in advance of the N7 Nenagh to Limerick high-quality dual carriageway road project at Coolderry were carried out between 15 September and 2 October 2006. In total an area measuring 21m by 14m was stripped of peaty topsoil and a fulacht fiadh consisting of a shallow mound and two troughs was revealed.
The site was located in a natural hollow and was partially waterlogged. The mound was sub-oval in plan and measured 8m wide by 10m long. Both troughs were located beneath the western side of the mound. One of these was rectangular in plan and measured 1.5m long by 1m wide and only 0.1m deep. The base of the trough had traces of a wooden plank lining which seemed to have been set in grey clay to aid in making the base watertight. The second trough was roughly oval in shape and measured 1.82m long by 1.18m wide. It was 0.42m deep. The base and sides of the trough were lined with an organic matting (consisting of moss, bark and other material), which was held in place by over 30 pegs and stakes which were found preserved in situ. A timber was also found running across the middle of the trough, which may have created an internal division. No artefacts were recovered during the course of this excavation.
Editor’s note: Although excavated during 2006, the report on this site arrived too late for inclusion in the bulletin of that year.
