County: Limerick Site name: Mungret to Inchmore Gas Pipeline
Sites and Monuments Record No.: n/a Licence number: 14E0209
Author: Fintan Walsh
Site type: Bronze Age settlement, burnt mounds
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 554137m, N 654881m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.643195, -8.677677
Monitoring was undertaken along the route of the Bord Gáis Networks Mungret to Inchmore Gas Pipeline Co. Limerick. The pipeline route passed through several townlands: Bunlicky, Skehacreggaun, Ballykeeffe, Dooradoyle, Rossbrien, Ballysheedy East, Rathurd, Banemore, and Bohereen, Co. Limerick. The majority of this route was greenfield and monitoring involved a continuous watching brief throughout the entire works.
Five sites were identified during the course of monitoring works, two of which—a cremation pit (BGN Rossbrien 1) and a charcoal-rich pit (BGN Rossbrien 2)—were excavated under the monitoring licence.
Two sites were fully excavated under separate licences (BGN Bohereen 1: Licence No. 14E244, and BGN Ballykeeffe 1: Licence No,. 14E253). BGN Bohereen 1 was a possible Bronze Age/Iron Age house with ancillary structure (Area 1) and a group of pits (Area 2). BGN Ballykeeffe 1 was an extensive burnt mound with large troughs and a charcoal-production-kiln. Only a portion of this burnt mound was extant within the wayleave of the pipeline route and a portion survives in situ outside the wayleave.
A second burnt mound (BGN Ballykeeffe 2) was identified and recorded during monitoring however this would not have been disturbed by the pipeline and was preserved in situ (by covering it with clay and topsoil) in consultation with the project archaeologist for the scheme.
IAC Ltd, Unit G1, Network Enterprise Park, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow
