County: Tipperary Site name: Tullahedy, Site 2
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E003401
Author: Lisa Doyle, Headland Archaeology, Unit 1, Wallingstown Business Park, Little Island, Cork.
Site type: Burnt spread
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 583132m, N 677431m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.847547, -8.250407
Excavation in advance of the N7 Nenagh to Limerick high-quality dual carriage road project was carried out at site E3401 between 13 and 16 March 2007. Testing carried out by Judith Carroll & Co. (A026/442) had uncovered a burnt spread.
Excavation revealed a heavily truncated burnt spread comprising four distinct horizons. The upper surviving deposit of dark-blackish-brown charcoal-rich sandy silt with frequent heat-shattered stone measured 6.8m by 3.75m by 0.21m. C004 was mid-greyish-brown sandy silt with infrequent charcoal flecks and also contained a moderate amount of heat-shattered stone (7.1m by 4.6m by 0.15m). A layer of mid-brownish-grey silty clay survived in irregular patches beneath the burnt spread, ranging in depth from 0.01 to 0.04m. The lowermost layer may have been a charcoal-stained mid-blackish-grey natural accumulation of clay in a shallow hollow with dimensions of 3m by 2m by 0.03m. No finds were recovered.
A sub-oval hollow measuring 1.46m by 0.88m by 0.23m possibly served as a trough. It was cut on the north-east by a second smaller sub-oval cut (0.9m by 0.78m by 0.39m) which may have had a similar function. Both were filled by black sandy silt with minor charcoal flecking and some heat-shattered stone.
A small sub-oval pit (0.64m by 0.36m by 0.15m) was also uncovered below the northern extent of the spread. It was filled with loose brown sandy clay with inclusions of small and burnt stones.
The spread was truncated by a modern field drain running roughly north to south.
