2012:558 - Graigue, Tipperary

Assessment and predevelopment testing were carried out at a site in Graigue, Moycarky in September 2012. The proposed development comprises a dwelling house, detached garage and all associated site works. The site was situated immediately north of a cashel (TN047-038).
The testing revealed the presence of multiple subsoil-cut features including pits, post-holes and linear features in several areas of the site.
In Trench 2 three features were identified: an oval pit (F.1) measuring 1.4m x 1.2m x 0.1m deep with brownish pink charcoal-rich fill with heat-affected sandstone inclusions; a pit or possible ditch terminus measuring 0.47m x 0.45m x 0.12m deep with packing stones around the edges of the cut and a brown silt fill with charcoal flecks and a possible linear ditch measuring 1.1m long x 0.3m and cut by F.1.
In Trench 3 four features were identified: a sub-oval pit (F.1) measuring 1.4m x 0.6m x 0.08m deep containing a dark brown silt fill with moderate charcoal and occasional heat-shattered sandstone inclusions; a “key-hole”-shaped pit measuring 1.6m x 0.7m x 0.1m deep filled by dark grey silt with frequent large stone and charcoal inclusions; a possible linear ditch measuring 0.4m wide and a possible curvilinear ditch measuring a minimum of 5m x 0.3m.
In Trench 4 four features were identified: an oval pit measuring 1.4m x 1.1m x 0.1m deep filled by dark greyish brown silty clay with frequent charcoal inclusions and a possible stone lining at north and east sides; an oval pit measuring 0.6m x 0.4m filled by a greyish brown silt with charcoal fleck inclusions; a possible post-hole pair comprising of a conjoined pair of circular post-holes measuring 0.1m in diameter; an oval pit measuring 0.5m x 0.4m filled by brown silty clay with charcoal fleck inclusions.
In Trench 5 six features were identified: a circular post-hole measuring 0.38m diam x 0.26m deep filled by dark grey silt with charcoal fleck inclusions; an oval pit measuring 1.1m x 0.8m filled by dark greyish brown silt with heat-affected clay and charcoal inclusions; a circular post-hole measuring 0.1m in diameter filled with a dark grey silt; a post-hole measuring 0.1m diameter filled by a dark grey silt; an oval pit measuring 0.35m x 0.3m x 0.08m deep filled by dark greyish brown silty clay with moderate charcoal inclusions and an oval pit measuring 0.3m x 0.25m.
In Trench 6 a single feature was identified comprising of a circular post-hole measuring 0.1m in diameter filled with a dark grey silt with occasional charcoal fleck inclusions.
A single sherd of locally made unglazed medieval pottery was retrieved from the vicinity of pit F.1 in Trench 3 and gives a possible indication of the date of some of the features.
The pits, post-holes and linear features are of unknown date and function.

Wolfhound Archaeology, Killag, Duncormick, Co. Wexford.