County: Limerick Site name: BOLANE/GLENNAMEADE
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 12E0161
Author: Sébastien Joubert
Site type: Burnt mounds
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 515393m, N 648619m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.582268, -9.248454
Testing took place in the townlands of Bolane and Glennameade along the proposed N69 Bolane Bends Realignment Scheme in June 2012. The proposed works comprised a realignment of 1.15km of the N69 road, of which c. 600m consisted of new road constructed through greenfield land while the remainder comprised widening of the existing road. The scheme commenced c. 1.5km west of Kildimo village. Fifty-two test trenches totaling 11.3% of the Lands Made Available were excavated within five designated fields along the scheme. The works were carried out by Sébastien Joubert and Paul O’Keeffe, NRA Archaeologists, on behalf of Limerick County Council.
Two burnt mounds were identified in the townland of Bolane, and one burnt mound was identified in the townland of Glennameade.
Glennameade 1, a burnt mound and associated features centered at 543587 653229 at 16.91m OD. The main mound averaged 10m in diameter but extended beyond the limits of excavation to the south. Two slot trenches were excavated through the mound. It had a thickness of c. 0.4m at the northern end but a minimum depth of 0.7m was recorded at the southern end. Several additional features were identified within the test trenches.
Bolane 1 was a burnt mound centered at 543857 653088 at 12.8m OD. The mound averaged 15m north-east/south-west by 10m and consisted of compact black sandy and silty clay mixed with frequent burnt stones and charcoal flecks. Two small test pits were excavated within the mound. At its centre, at its presumably highest point, the mound was 0.46m thick.
Bolane 2 was a burnt mound centred at 543888 652959 at 11.6m OD. The main deposit of the burnt mound averaged 12m north-south by 9m and consisted of a compact dark clayey silt mixed with frequent burnt stones and occasional charcoal flecks. A small test pit was excavated within the mound. At its centre, at its presumably highest point, the mound was 0.51m thick. The site is located at the western edge of a natural hillock and the mound drops in a westerly direction from 12.6m OD to 10.5m OD.
It was recommended that all three burnt mounds be excavated prior to the commencement of the construction of the N69 Road Realignment Scheme. The sites were subsequently excavated by Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd between the 4 and 23 July 2012 under licences 12E228-230 (below Nos 387-8 and 398).
NRA Archaeologist, Kerry National Road Design Office, the Island Centre, Castleisland, Co. Kerry
