County: Tipperary Site name: Touknockane
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E002309
Author: Ross MacLeod, Headland Archaeology Ltd, Unit 25 Killerin Park, Liosbaun Industrial Estate, Tuam Road, Galway.
Site type: Fulachta fiadh and nine pot boilers
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 570627m, N 666073m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.744935, -8.435015
Archaeological investigation in advance of the N7 Nenagh to Limerick road project at Touknockane took place between 4 and 31 October 2006. Excavations revealed a number of features spread over six separate areas. Five fulachta fiadh, each consisting of shallow fire-cracked stone mounds and unlined earth-cut troughs, were identified. The shallow mounds associated with the fulachta fiadh had varying dimensions, ranging from a mere 2.5m by 3.8m to a substantial 13.3m by 13.2m. The dimensions of the troughs were typically 2m long by 1.8m wide with a depth of 0.5m. Across the site nine charcoal- and fire-cracked stone-rich features were interpreted as being pot-boilers. Stake-holes were also found in close association with two of the fulachta fiadh. Finds from the site include a small sherd of prehistoric pottery, two pieces of worked chert and a small quantity of animal bone.
Editor’s note: Although excavated during 2006, the report on this site arrived too late for inclusion in the bulletin of that year.
