2012:669 - Glencarbry, Tipperary

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Tipperary Site name: Glencarbry

Sites and Monuments Record No.: TS045:014 Licence number: 12E0335

Author: Niall Gregory

Site type: Possible prehistoric

Period/Dating:

ITM: E 594718m, N 652303m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.621940, -8.078000

Monitoring work continued at this windfarm development.

Phase 1, undertaken in 2012 saw monitoring of topsoil stripping for Turbine No. 9. It takes in the townlands of Glencarbry, Piper Hill, Glenpaudeen, Glenlough Lower and Foilmacduff. These were upland grazing and forestry zones. The 2015 tranche of works, which comprises Phase 2, commenced in November 2015 (with licence extension of 12E0335), and entailed monitoring of topsoil stripping for site compound, turbine access road, substation, Turbine No. 1 and Turbine No. 4. In all, some 24100m² was topsoil stripped. The exposed stratigraphy consisted of 0.1 to 0.15m peaty topsoil on to the natural subsoil that consisted of yellow to orange silty clay with high concentration of small sandstone that sporadically exposed the sandstone bedrock. The natural subsoil was typically excavated to a depth of up to 0.2m. While no archaeology was encountered, some residual elements of 18th to 19th-century field boundaries and a plough zone were recorded.

The 2016 tranche of works constituted monitoring of topsoil stripping of remaining Turbine Nos 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14, and associated adjacent hardstands for assembly of turbines. Other works comprised monitoring of upgrade of forestry roads, interconnecting new wind farm roads from Turbine No. 4 to Turbine No. 5, Turbine No. 10 to Turbine No. 11 and Turbine No. 12 to Turbine No. 14, all over a mixture of forestry and pastureland. Electricity cable connection was monitored internal to the overall development of 4.3km and further monitoring of connection from the development for 14.5km to ESB Substation at Seskin townland over pastureland and along the R497 road edge. This work was completed on 8 August 2016.

Potential archaeology was revealed during cable connection in the townland of Drumwwod at national grid reference R87038143295. It is consisted of a shallow fire-reddened pit, with charcoal-rich soil infill. Archaeobotanical and charcoal analysis identified no seed remains The presence of fungal spores and small twigs indicated unrelated surface activity from the upper strata. The charcoal analysis identified deliberate firing of fresh wood from open mixed woodland area, situated close to water. The fact that oak was the predominant species used in the pit suggests deliberate firing for higher temperatures and for a relatively longer duration. While it could have been used for domestic activity, such as cooking, it appears to have been more likely for other purpose. However, the limited evidence garnered from the pit makes any interpretation somewhat conjectural. As the samples were mixed with roots, due to it being close to the surface, any undertaking of carbon dating would probably identify cross-contamination.

Dunburbeg, Clonmel Road, Cashel, Co. Tipperary