2017:515 - Farranablake East, Athenry, Galway

Following test trenching under this licence in 2016, an excavation was carried out in advance of a nursing home extension. The site is partially located on top of a known monument, ringfort GA084-027, which is also truncated by a road.
The excavation confirmed the results of testing, and demonstrated that, despite severe truncation, part of the ditch of the ringfort survived within the development site. An 8.3m length of the ditch survived within the site and this was fully excavated. Due to differential truncation relating to the original construction of the nursing home some years ago, the ditch survived almost intact at the south but was entirely truncated at the north. At the north the ditch was just 1.45m wide and 0.41m deep, whilst at the south it survived to a width of 3.35m and its full depth was seen to be 1.9m. The ditch had steep straight sides and a flat base, with a step evident along the eastern edge.
At the southern edge of the site part of an entrance to the enclosure was revealed. The main part of the ditch had a rounded terminus which sloped up to a partial-depth causeway. On either side of the causeway (east and west) was a gully that connected into the ditch terminus. Just 1.3m of the causeway was visible within the excavated area as it extends southwards beneath tree stumps that form the site boundary and into the adjacent field, but it is clear that the entrance structure was complex and well constructed. The causeway surface was at a level approximately 1.28m above the base of the ditch, 0.6m below the original natural surface, and sloped down slightly to the west. The eastern gully was 1.7m wide and 1.05m deep with steeply sloping sides and a flat base whilst that at the west was 1.15m wide and 0.38m deep with a more gently concave profile.
The ditch produced a moderate amount of animal bone, some shell, iron slag and a piece of pottery. A small sherd of post-medieval pottery was recovered from partway down the fill sequence, perhaps indicating that the upper part of the ditch was infilled in the post-medieval period; however the pottery could be intrusive, introduced into the loose deposit by the many tree roots which extended to the base of the ditch.
A radiocarbon determination was obtained from a piece of animal bone from near the base of the ditch and this dates the monument to the 7th to 9th century AD - Cal. AD 671-868 (UBA-35099; 1256±34 BP; 2 sigma).

Ahish, Ballinruan, Crusheen, Co. Clare