County: Cork Site name: Toonlane 5
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E004989
Author: Bruce Sutton, Rubicon Heritage Services Ltd
Site type: Prehistoric burnt mound
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 523159m, N 575717m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 51.928262, -9.117292
Excavation by Rubicon Heritage Ltd at Toonlane 5 was undertaken as part of the N22 Baile Bhuirne–Macroom Road Scheme (Lot 1) Archaeological Consultancy Services Contract. The excavation was carried out on behalf of Cork County Council and funded by Transport Infrastructure Ireland.
Excavation recorded a burnt mound, disturbed by ground clearance works, and associated stone lined pit/trough. Prior to disturbance the mound was recorded as being 5.2 m x 4.1 m in size, with a maximum depth of 0.45 m. At the time of excavation the remaining mound material measured 4.4 m in length, 2 m wide and 0.35 m deep.
A large stone-lined trough was located between the stream, which formed the northern and western boundaries of the site, and a large outcrop of bedrock to the southeast. This contained 5 fills and was lined with large flattish stones (average 0.9 m x 0.75 m x 0.3 m in size) standing upright around the edges, with several slightly smaller stones lining the western area of the base. This was similar in appearance to the Phase 1 trough at Garranes, Co. Cork, and one recorded at Ballymakeery 2, approximately 1.5 km to the northwest and part of the same scheme.
Alder dominated the assemblage followed by oak. Lesser occurrences of willow, pomaceous woods, blackthorn and gorse were also identified. The wood composition from Toonlane 5 fits with the broader trend emerging from burnt mound sites in the Irish charcoal record.
Two radiocarbon dates were obtained from alder and willow charcoal for the excavated trough. These indicated that the burnt mound activity recorded at the site was undertaken during Middle/Late Bronze Age (1369–1018 BC)
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