2008:1123 - Poulmaleen, Faugheen, Tipperary

Testing was carried out as part of the planning process to build 34 houses on the outskirts of Faugheen village. The eastern part of the site is located within the confines of a medieval settlement. A geophysical survey was undertaken in advance of the testing.
In total eleven trenches were opened across the site and predominantly located on the potential archaeological features identified by the geophysical survey. During testing, only two features were revealed, both in Trench 8. Comprising shallow pits, no dating evidence was retrieved from their fills, although their location was in close proximity to a previously ploughed-out field boundary. It was considered they might be the result of vegetation clearance associated with the removal of this boundary.
No evidence was revealed pertaining to the medieval settlement at Faugheen; in fact, nothing was identified that could be associated with concerted settlement at all. Even early agricultural features, such as furrows, were absent, although local information revealed the field had been used for potatoes up to c. 70 years ago. Ceramic evidence was also confined to the modern period, with no pottery dating earlier than the mid-late 19th century. The highest concentration of pottery was located in Trench 4, where a large amount of 20th-century pottery was revealed within the topsoil at the north-east end of the trench. Regarding the lack of physical archaeological evidence when compared to the geophysical survey, it should be noted the natural deposition contained small clusters of large boulders, which were revealed at varying locations in the trenches. These clusters tended to be situated on the site of potential features as identified by the geophysical survey.