2012:125 - Waterdyke, Cork

Waterdyke 1 was located on the Combined N73 Annakisha South and N73 Clogher Cross to Waterdyke, Co. Cork, Road Realignment Schemes. The excavation has revealed evidence of pits, post-holes and two ditches representing activity dating from the Late Neolithic to the medieval period.

The Late Neolithic activity at the site consisted of two groups of post-holes and a pit. One of the groups of post-holes formed a 3m-wide arc. Finds from the post-holes included flint and very worn Middle Neolithic impressed-ware pottery. One of the post-holes was radiocarbon dated to 2838-2475 cal. BC (UBA-21422, 4045±37 BP).

The pit was disturbed, containing burnt bone dated to the Late Neolithic; 2859-2495 cal. BC (UBA-22831, 4083±32 BP); and charcoal from the Developed Iron Age; 372-117 cal. BC (UBA-21420, 2178±35 BP).

Evidence for definitive Late Neolithic settlement is scare in Ireland (with the exception of Knowth and Lough Gur) but this site adds to the increasing instances of possible structures and pottery and lithic assemblages that have been excavated in recent times.

A charcoal-production pit and two associated dumping pits were dated to the early medieval/medieval period. The charcoal pit was sub-rectangular, cut into limestone bedrock and measured 2.09m by 1.33m and was 0.28m deep. The base and side of the pit were fire reddened, over which was a layer of charcoal between 0.05m and 0.15m thick. The charcoal was radiocarbon dated to 1039-1214 cal. AD (UBA-21421, 896±35 BP). The dumping pits were both irregular and contained ash deposits.

There is evidence of early medieval activity in the locale of Waterdyke townland in the form of ringforts located in neighbouring townlands Carrigaunroe and Shanagh. Charcoal-production pits dating from the Late Iron Age/early medieval were excavated in Waterdyke townland as part of the N73 scheme – see entries for 12E0083 and 12E0084, above Nos 123-4.

Two ditches on the site were dated to the medieval period. The first ditch was slightly curved, 37m long, orientated from the south-west corner of the limit of excavation to the north-east, where it was, presumably, cut by a droveway constructed sometime between 1841 and 1905 that leads to a now derelict property. The main fill of this ditch was radiocarbon dated to 1491-1657 cal. AD (UBA-21424, 296±30 BP).

The second ditch cut the first. It was orientated from the south-east of the limit of excavation toward the north-west for a length of 10.87m where it then turned to the north-east for a length of 12.75m to the limit of excavation. The primary fill of this angular ditch was radiocarbon dated to 892-675 cal. BC (UBA-21423, 2628±35 BP) placing it in the Late Bronze Age, however the charcoal used for this date must be intrusive. The ditch is more likely to represent the digging of a medieval field system as the shape of the ditch follows the post-medieval field layout.

There is an unclassified castle, CO018-061, to the south-west of the site. The castle is annotated on the Down Survey (1655-6) barony map and Healy (1988, 432) states that the castle was of the Nagle family but was granted to the Hughes in 1657. Waterdyke townland may have been part of this castle’s farm layout.

Reference:

Healy, J N, 1988, The Castles of County Cork, Mercer Press, Cork and Dublin.

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