2010:628 - Noard and Borris, Tipperary

Two phases of test excavations were carried out on foot of a geophysical survey on the site of the proposed Tipperary Venue. The proposed development covers an area of 331ha but only 81ha were available for testing.
A total of 73 trenches were excavated during the two phases of testing. Phase 1 excavations were located to the south of the old N8 road and Phase 2 to the north of that road. Five burnt-mound sites were uncovered and several pits, post-holes and a gully were also identified scattered across the testing area.
Phase 1 of the programme confirmed the presence of three potential burnt-mound sites (Sites 1–3) and a large linear ditch of archaeological significance (F8) that had been suggested by the results of the geophysical survey on the western end of the site. Testing also established the presence of an additional burnt mound (Site 4), a small gully and three isolated pits of unconfirmed date. In addition, several linear ditches were also identified on-site. As many as ten of these were field boundaries illustrated on the first-edition (1837) OS map, while the others are probably agricultural features.
Site 1 was a burnt mound measuring 11.7m by 6.1m. Site 2 comprised a large charcoal spread, 13.5m by 9.6m, and three small spreads of burnt-mound material, the largest of which was 2.9m long. The third burnt mound measured 10.3m by 7m and was up to 0.25m deep. Ditch F8 was located nearby. It measured 1.03m wide, 0.55m deep and was filled with burnt-mound material. Site 4 was located on the south-eastern end of the testing area, measured 14m by 6.9m and was 0.22m deep.
Phase 2 testing results confirmed the presence of the potential burnt mound (Site 5) identified during field-walking for the EIS and by the geophysical survey and also established that the former curving field boundary identified during these exercises did not form part of an archaeological site. Two ditches were identified at that location but both had been backfilled in modern times. There was no evidence that they represented part of an earlier enclosure nor was there any evidence for archaeological features within the area enclosed by the curving boundary. Test excavations did uncover several features at other parts of the site, including three fire pits and a post-hole (which may suggest a wider area of activity), as well as nineteen linear ditches. The ditches are interpreted as agricultural features, two of which were late 19th-century field boundaries. The burnt mound at Site 5 measured 24.9m by 18m and had been heavily truncated, surviving to a depth of just 0.25m. A linear ditch was uncovered to the east of the mound and since it contained burnt-mound material it was probably associated with it, possibly functioning as a channel feeding into the trough.