2015:090 - Station Road, Carrigtohill, Cork

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Cork Site name: Station Road, Carrigtohill

Sites and Monuments Record No.: CO075-001-2 Licence number: 15E0233

Author: Donald Murphy

Site type: Multi-period

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 581994m, N 573497m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 51.913320, -8.261715

An assessment (with test trenching) took place of the site of a proposed Post-Primary school and an amalgamated National school at Carrigtohill and Terrysland Townlands, Carrigtohill, Co. Cork behalf of the Department of Education and Skills, Portlaoise Road, Tullamore, Co. Offaly.
The testing is being carried out at a pre-planning stage as the site is located close to a medieval church and graveyard (CO075-001-2). A desktop survey highlighted the site as a suitable location for fulachtaí fia though none were specifically discovered. The site is flat and low-lying and would have been marshy and wet in the past though appears to have been reclaimed in modern times. The stream/river running north-south through the site forms the townland boundary between Terrysland and Carrigtohill and aids in the drainage of the site. A farmyard and some old farm buildings and a derelict house occupy the south-east corner of the site.
Between 27 and 29 May 2015 a total of forty-five test trenches with a combined total of 3,013 linear metres (6,026 sq. m) were excavated within the site. The trenches were excavated in all cases to natural deposits which varied across the site from grey to pale cream marl to a rusty orange/brown gravel boulder clay. The topsoil varied in depth from 0.2m to 0.5m but for the most part maintained an average 0.3m in thickness. A series of stone-filled drains were evident below the topsoil in all parts of the site indicating that significant drainage and land reclamation has taken place over the last two hundred years and is probably associated with the farm on the south-east corner of the site. Only two features of interest were exposed, two linear ditches measuring approximately 2m in width and aligned roughly east-west. Both ditches were filled with a brown clay containing post-medieval pottery and glass and are on the same alignment as two field boundaries marked on the 25 inch OS map and obviously formed part of the farm. Despite the potential for fulachtaí fia within the site, none were identified. No features of archaeological significance were exposed during the testing and the only finds recovered consisted of post-medieval pottery and glass from the topsoil.
A circular stone-lined well which has been partly covered by a concrete cap is evident towards the south end of the site and is marked on the 25 inch OS map (c. 1929). Though not marked specifically on the first edition OS map (c. 1841), the stream leading from the well towards the river is marked and the well could have been in existence from before this date.
In field 2, the gas pipeline had previously been stripped along the east and southern boundaries and prohibited testing in these areas. The topsoil stripping of the route for the pipeline was monitored at the time and no features were exposed in this field. During the present testing a gravel path was exposed below the topsoil in Trenches 18 and 29. The path was aligned roughly east-west, measured 1.5m in width and had multiple inclusions of glass and modern pottery. It obviously represents an old path leading to the well or pump which is indicated on the 25 inch OS map (c. 1920). The path itself is not marked on any of the OS editions. No other features of archaeological significance were exposed in Field 2 and no finds other than the glass and modern pottery were recovered.
The kiln and pit exposed in Field 1 are of archaeological significance and both will require full excavation prior to the construction phase. Despite stripping an area of topsoil around both the kiln and pit, no additional features were exposed.

Archaeological Consultancy Services Unit, Unit 21 Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co Louth