County: Tipperary Site name: Gortmore
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E003265
Author: Margaret McNamara, TVAS (Ireland) Ltd, Ahish, Ballinruan, Crusheen, Co. Clare.
Site type: Burnt-stone deposits, pits
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 578907m, N 673159m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.809002, -8.312854
This site was excavated in advance of the N7 Nenagh to Limerick road project at Chainage 21370. Excavations were carried out on 23–30 April 2007. Site E3264 (see No. 1625 above) was located to the south-west in Castlecranna townland. The region is overlooked by the Silvermines Mountains to the east and the Arra Mountains to the north and west. Specifically, the site is on sloping pastureland between the two ranges. To the north the land drops down to a low-lying area of bog. The site covered an area of 455m2.
Modern drains and furrows crossed the site, damaging archaeological features in the process. The only features of note were two pits (sub-oval and sub-square in plan) excavated in the western half of the site. The pit fills were clay, charcoal-flecked silty clay and clayey sand with burnt stone and charcoal. Three small deposits were located south of the pits. All of these deposits contained charcoal and one contained burnt stone. These deposits may represent displaced pit material.
The only find was a piece of flint (possibly struck) recovered from the initial cleaning of the site.
This site may relate to prehistoric fulacht fiadh/burnt-stone spread activity in the wider landscape.
