County: Tipperary Site name: Park 2
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E003772
Author: John Tierney, Eachtra Archaeological Projects, Ballycurreen Industrial Estate, Kinsale Road, Cork.
Site type: Fulacht fiadh/burnt mound
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 599847m, N 681169m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.881408, -8.002263
Phase 2 excavations along 17.1km (Contact 1) of the 35km N7 Castletown to Nenagh (Derrinsallagh to Ballintotty) national road scheme were commissioned by Laois County Council and the National Roads Authority. Contract 1 comprises the western half of the scheme and runs from Clashnevin to Castelroan, passing along the Tipperary North and Offaly county border regions. Six areas of archaeology were uncovered during Contract 1 trial-trench testing. Park 2, Area 4.3, was tested under licence E3378 (see No. 1626 above) in 2007.
This site comprised a burnt mound, a trough, post- and stake-holes, two pits and a possible well. It was located on an east-facing slope overlooking an area of wetland.
The burnt mound measured 32.6m in length by 16.4m in width and 0.48m in depth. A trough was found beneath the burnt mound. It was 4.26m long, 1.6m wide and 0.62m in depth. It was cut into a slope and was deepest to the west (0.62m), while the maximum depth at the eastern end was c. 0.15m.
A possible well was located close to the trough. It was subcircular in shape with relatively steep sides. It measured 4.52m long by 2.86m wide and 0.6m deep. It contained four fills including redeposited burnt-mound material. It is possible that this was used as a well or a sump; the base was slightly waterlogged and the pit/well held a large quantity of water (up to 7.75 cubic metres).
Two post-holes were located on either side of the western end of the trough and seventeen stake-holes were found scattered at the western end of the trough. Although the exact function of these post- and stake-holes is unknown, they may have been part of a structure that covered this end of the trough.
A pit was found close to the trough. It was oval in plan with a flat base and it measured 1.9m in length, 1.65m in width and 0.29m in depth. It contained three fills which resembled burnt-mound material and this pit was probably associated with activity at the burnt mound.
Another pit was found underneath a field boundary, 1.72m in length, 1.38m in width and 0.37m deep. There are no indications of the date or function of this pit.
