2013:276 - 13LIS-053 Killoran, Moyne, Tipperary

Following an assessment of the proposed impact of an extension to the existing Tailings Management Facility (TMF) in Lisheen Mine, 16 archaeological sightings were recorded in June 2013 (see 13E059). A programme of excavation was carried out between July and September 2013 which resulted in the excavation of these 16 sites and a further 28 sites which were identified during the course of excavation.

This site comprised a possible peatland structure – possibly a platform or a Class 3 togher. It was constructed of a mixture of roundwood and brushwood elements that were randomly dispersed over an area that measured 23m by 6m (max.), that was orientated south-east to north-west. The elements were mostly concentrated in first 10m at the north-west end, although even here they were quite dispersed and intermingled with a quantity of root material and tree stumps. Most of the elements were laid roughly longitudinally but not with any deliberate or formal structure. The maximum length of the roundwoods was 2.8m but they were generally less than 2m in length and between 0.07-0.15m thick. The brushwood elements were by their nature shorter and thinner than the roundwoods and they were interspersed with the roundwoods. The site was located in fen peat at the western edge of the bog. The presence of a number of tree stumps and a high quantity of root material may indicate a wooded area at the bog edge that may not have required the construction of large formally laid structures to provide access. It is possible that the elements represent discarded timber from the processing of wood within a woodland area rather than being a deliberately constructed surface. A number of Class 2 toghers were identified and excavated in close proximity to the south-east of site 13LIS-053. These sites (13LIS-001-004) ranged in date from 510 – 390 BC to 196 – 1 BC and it is interpreted that site 13LIS-053 would be broadly dated to a similar period in the early to middle Iron Age.

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