County: Longford Site name: AGHAREAGH
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 09E0316
Author: Mandy Stephens, CRDS Ltd, Greenanstown, Stamullan, Co. Meath.
Site type: Fulachta fiadh
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 611475m, N 775010m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.724627, -7.826116
Site 4, Aghareagh, was located 2km west of Longford town, on the south side of the N5 Dublin to Castlebar road. This was one of four sites identified along the route of the N5 Longford bypass. The site was at the base of a low hill in a wetland area delimited to the north by the N5 and to the south by a watercourse, Ballyminion Stream. Areas of bog and marsh surrounded the site, which was constructed on layers of peat. Excavation revealed two burnt mounds and a potential wooden substructure. The site was discovered in the course of test-trenching in 2008 by Graham Hull of TVAS Ltd, 08E0861 (Excavations 2008, No. 803).
Excavation was conducted in August 2009. Investigated deposits comprised two distinct spreads of heat-affected and cracked sandstone and limestone and charcoal in matrices of silty clay. These spreads of fulacht-type material measured between 18m by 0.4m by 0.22m (Mound 1) and 14.3m by 3.95m by 0.6m (Mound 2) and were located at the west end of a trapezoidal site area. These two distinct deposits were separated by an intermediate area, comprised of peat overlying natural geology, which measured 18m east–west.
Site conditions and the limits of the site area precluded investigation further south and north of Mound 2. It is possible that the gap between the mounds represents the open section of the ^horseshoe’, allowing access into the work area of the monument. There was no evidence of a trough; potential timbers identified beneath Mound 2 were assessed by a specialist (Catr(ona Moore) and interpreted as naturally deposited.
Mound 2 was constructed on a high point at the site and layers of natural marl and sand may have been deliberately dumped in this specific location to raise the ground level, preventing inundation with water from the stream and facilitating control over water levels.
Weather conditions were extremely wet during investigation of this site and as a result an adjacent stream broke its banks, rendering the site unworkable for four weeks. Due to health and safety concerns it was not possible to fully excavate the site, however investigative sections were made through the exposed archaeological deposits and written and drawn and photographic records were subsequently made of both mounds. Samples of the mound materials and wood uncovered beneath one of the mounds were also recovered.
