2012:518 - Toobracken 1 and 2, Roscommon

The Stage (iii) excavation work at Toobrackan 1 and 2 was initially undertaken by James Kyle (IAC) on behalf of the National Roads Authority and took place between 4 and 22 of October 2010 (Excavations 2010, No. 585) . Further work was required at the site during April 2012 and was undertaken under an extension to the original excavation licence between 10 and 27 April.
The main focus of the site was on an area surrounding the exclusion zone for a ringfort (RO008-023) and a second smaller area to the east of this. Four phases of archaeological activity were identified and dated across the site which includes the late Neolithic, Early Bronze Age, Late Bronze Age and early medieval periods.
Four post-holes or pits were excavated which produced a small Neolithic assemblage of six flint and chert flakes. Alder charcoal dated these features to 2861–2576 BC (UBA 16921) placing this activity in the late Neolithic period. Neolithic features were also excavated quite close by at Toobrackan 4 by James Kyle (Excavations 2010, No. 587, 10E0383). The location was well drained and a tributary of the Lung River, which is a salmonid spawning river, flowed close by.
The remains of two hearths were identified to the west of the site. Hazel (Corylus avellana) charcoal from one produced a date of 2113–1900 BC (UBA 16957) placing the hearths in the Early Bronze Age period.
The heavily truncated remains of a burnt mound and associated two troughs were identified at Toobrackan 2. A sample of hazel (Corylus avellana) charcoal was dated to Cal. 1111–902 BC (UBA 16919) dating the activity to the late Bronze Age period.
Four ditches radiated out from the ringfort and may be the remnants of ditches or boundaries associated with a field system centred on the ringfort. A narrow ditch on the north-west was dated to AD 421–554 (UBA 21211). A wide ditch to the north, which was cut by a later ditch on a close alignment, were contemporary. They were dated to between AD 417–547 (UBA 21210) and AD 432–591 (UBA 21212). The excavations in 2012 identified a narrow curving ditch which respected the standing monument and followed its curve. It was not possible to identify if this was an earlier enclosure or was contemporary with the upstanding enclosure. It was dated to AD 666–773 (UBA 21213). To the north-east of the site were three sections of ditch, which were arranged along the same alignment but were also separated by deliberate gaps. These features appeared to respect the corner of a large, possibly square-shaped enclosure, to the north-east. Most of this potential enclosure is outside of the CPO. The ditch formed a regular right angle and had an entrance, indicated by a very definite terminus, facing south. The ditch was filled with a single homogenous fill of silty clay. Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) charcoal from the ditch produced a calibrated date of AD 1023–1155 (UBA 16920) indicating activity at the end of the early medieval period.

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