2017:041 - Teergonean, Doolin, Co. Clare, Clare

Following test trenching under this licence in 2016, an excavation was carried out in January 2017 in advance of a single house development. The excavation was concentrated on earthworks consisting of a double-banked trackway and another bank. The banks were seen to be of earthen construction, although some tumbled stones suggest that they may have originally been stone faced in places. The trackway was aligned south-west to north-east and positioned along a natural ridge.

A 38m length was excavated within the development site, largely by hand. A disturbed stone and gravel road surface 1-3.2m wide lay between the banks, which had an overall width to the external edges of the banks of 9.55-15.5m. A small gully was recorded alongside the road surface for 21.1m, petering out to the south-west. Although the trackway is not directly dated, post-medieval artefacts including parts of a later 17th-century clay tobacco pipe were recovered from material overlying the road surface. The trackway appears to lead towards the ruins of the medieval Killilagh Church to the north-east and pre-dates the current field system, which is parallel to townland boundaries shown on the Down Survey maps of the 1650s.

The function of the other bank is less clear. The bank, which extended north-west from the trackway, was also positioned along the top of a natural slope and could have represented a field boundary. Given its relationship to the trackway, i.e. it respected the trackway and appeared to post-date its construction, this field system may have been contemporary with the use of the trackway.

AHISH, BALLINRUAN, CRUSHEEN, CO. CLARE