County: Roscommon Site name: Ratallen 1
Sites and Monuments Record No.: n/a Licence number: 13E0126
Author: Shane Delaney
Site type: Early Bronze Age burnt mound
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 583436m, N 794135m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.896350, -8.252010
Excavation was carried out at Ratallen 1 as part of the N61 Ratallen Road Realignment Scheme. The site was discovered during advance testing along the proposed realignment undertaken in August 2012 by David Bayley of IAC Ltd (Licence Ref.: 12E264), on behalf of Roscommon County Council. The excavation took place between 13 and 16 of May 2013.
The archaeological remains excavated consisted of a truncated burnt mound positioned on undulating marginal ground. The site was located c. 14m north of a small stream which forms the boundary between Ratallen and Runnaboll townlands. The excavated features comprised of a burnt spread and a primary and secondary troughs. The burnt spread measured c. 11.2m x 7m with a maximum depth of c. 0.47m. It was visible as a low mound in the field prior to excavation. The primary trough comprised a wood-lined rectangular cut. This was directly overlaid by a secondary trough, which was also wood-lined. Wood from the primary trough and secondary trough returned two-sigma calibrated AMS dates (2453–2143 BC and 2290–2041 BC) indicating the burnt mound was in use during the early Bronze Age.
IAC Ltd, Unit G1, Network Enterprise Park, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow
