2016:837 - Garrymore 3, Cavan

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Cavan Site name: Garrymore 3

Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 16E0502

Author: Derek Gallagher

Site type: Fulacht fiadh

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 638115m, N 797197m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.922728, -7.419730

An archaeological excavation was carried out at Garrymore 3 in September 2016, in advance of the proposed N55 Road Realignment Scheme, Co. Cavan. The site was previously identified during archaeological testing Stage (i) of the proposed route in August 2016 as a burnt stone spread in a greenfield site. It measured 6.4m north-south by 4.34m with the spread having a maximum height of 0.15m. The spread was located at the base of the southern slope of a small drumlin hill where the ground transitions between wet, low-lying ground and the dryer slope. Upon excavation a trough (C08) with two associated post-holes (C17 & C19) and five pits (C25, C27, C04, C12 and C21) were exposed to the east and north-east of the burnt stone spread. The trough (C08) measured 2.8m by 0.9m maximum and had a depth of 0.25m. The site was disturbed by a stone-filled land drain (C24) that extended in a north-west to south-east and furrows that cut across the site from north-east to south-west.

A sample of charcoal recovered from the primary fill (C11) of the trough C08 was identified as oak, contained 0.8g of charcoal and returned a date of 752-406 cal BC (2435 +/- 35 BP). A burnt unworked piece of flint (16E0502:6:1) from the fill of pit C04 was the only find recovered from this site. No animal bone was present. The site can be classified as a fulacht fiadh and three similar sites were encountered on this scheme, one of which (Garrymore 2) was located c. 175m to the north-east in the same townland.

Sixty charcoal fragments were identified from the trough C08 and a pit C04. The charcoal identified at this site was most likely used as firewood. Oak was exclusively identified from the trough while alder and elm were identified from the pit.

Four fulachtaí fiadh have been excavated as part of the current scheme and include Garrymore 2 located c. 175m to the north-east in the same townland and Ballytrust 1 and Ballytrust 2 located south-west along the scheme. Similar dates (754 - 407 cal BC and 751- 404 cal BC) were returned from two features at Garrymore 2 suggesting Late Bronze Age activity in this townland, where the natural resources in the landscape were utilised.

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