County: Waterford Site name: Newtown, Tramore
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 14E0349
Author: Patricia Long
Site type: Early Iron Age fulacht fiadh
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 656824m, N 600866m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.156703, -7.169544
Excavation was undertaken at Newtown, Tramore, Co. Waterford, on behalf of Heylin Moran Partnership Ltd. The works were undertaken prior to the construction of a 70-bedroom two- storey nursing home with a part three storey wing on the southern side, together with ancillary accommodation, a new vehicular entrance, visitor and staff car parking, associated site works, services, boundary treatments and landscaped gardens.
A desk‐based impact assessment was carried out in 2006 followed by a geophysical survey undertaken in August 2014. Based on the results of this survey a targeted programme of test trenching was carried out on 4 and 5 September 2014. A total of ten test trenches totalling 476 linear metres were excavated within the footprint of the development. It was not possible to excavate the full linear meterage (500m) originally proposed in the method statement due to Health & Safety issues pertaining to trench depth. Where this issue was encountered a series of seven trial pits (3m by 3m) were instead excavated to confirm the presence of an extensive area of modern made‐ground in the north and east of the site.
One area of archaeological potential was identified adjacent to the northern boundary, consisting of a burnt mound deposit which was identified in Test Trenches 6 and 7. This area was stripped to expose the extent of the archaeological deposits. It was determined that the mound (004) extended for some 14m north‐south by 11m, with a maximum recorded depth of 0.46m.
Based on the results of the test trenching full excavation of the identified archaeology was carried out between 15 and 26 September 2014 under an extension to the existing licence. The evaluation of the findings of the excavation suggests the presence of a prehistoric burnt mound with an associated trough and three other pits.
Monitoring of topsoil and overburden stripping for the entire footprint of the proposed building was undertaken. No further archaeological remains were identified.
A sample of birch charcoal from a pit located under the burnt mound was radiocarbon dated and returned an Early Iron Age date of 800–550 cal BC (UBA‐27744).
Rubicon Heritage Services Ltd, Unit 2, Europa Enterprise Park, Midleton, Co. Cork
