2019:711 - Cloonlurg 1, Sligo

An archaeological excavation was carried out at the site of Cloonlurg 1 in advance of construction of the N4 Collooney to Castlebaldwin Road Development Scheme in Co. Sligo between 23 April and 14 May 2019. The excavation was carried out on behalf of Roadbridge by Colum Hardy and James McKee of Archaeological Management Solutions (AMS) Ltd. The site was discovered during testing (Reg No. E005036) undertaken by AMS in 2019 in the central section of the N4 Road Scheme in the townland of Cloonlurg.
The archaeological remains at Cloonlurg 1 consisted of two burnt mounds situated adjacent to a narrow unnamed water channel (a tributary of Drumfin River). The first (Burnt Mound 1), consisting of three deposits (one of which was separated from the others by a peat horizon) was located to the south of the site. This mound was associated with a partially wood-lined trough, a number of stone deposits/features and a group of stakes (possibly a windbreak). This feature lay to the immediate north-west of the mound in the vicinity of a modern drain that truncated the edge of the mound. The second (Burnt Mound 2), consisting of a single deposit, lay to the north of the site.

Burnt Mound 1
Central to activities at Burnt Mound 1 was a trough with the partially surviving remnants of a wood lining. The trough was cut into a primary peat deposit found to the south of the site. It was orientated north-east to south-west and contained three fills of a similar composition consisting of heat-shattered stone in matrices of charcoal-rich sandy soil. The trough was sub-rectangular in plan, measured 2.34m in length, 1.11m in width and 0.39m in depth and contained the remains of a wood lining held in place by stakes/pegs.
The trough was surrounded by a burnt mound deposit, which was irregular in plan with a maximum length of 6.7m, a maximum width of 3.2m and a maximum depth of 0.2m. A second burnt mound deposit was located to the immediate north of this (almost abutting). This was sub-oval in plan, orientated west-south-west to east-north-east and measured 1.74 in length, 1m in width and 0.21m in depth. Both of these deposits were of similar composition consisting of heat-shattered stones in charcoal-enriched matrices and were sealed by a peat horizon which was indicative of a hiatus in the use of the site. This peat horizon, a loosely compacted dark blackish-brown spongey peat incorporating occasional heat-shattered stone, contained pieces of wood including sixteen worked timbers (it is possible that some of these had originally been used to line the trough). The deposit was sub-circular in plan measuring 11.75m by 11m with an average depth of 0.36m.
Three stone deposits/features were also found in association with Burnt Mound 1, sealed by the same peat horizon. The first of these (comprising loose unburnt stone) was irregular in plan, measured 4.4m in length, 2.4m in width and 0.18m in depth and likely constituted a dump of raw material possibly for the next use of the trough. The other two stone deposits were possible stone surfaces (small working areas) which measured 0.95m in length, 0.35m in width and 0.17m in depth and 0.38m in length, 0.36m in width and 0.05m in depth.
A second phase of activity was represented by a thicker layer of burnt mound material which comprised a single deposit of heat-shattered stones in a charcoal-enriched soil matrix. This material, which had similar horizon dimensions to the underlying secondary peat deposit sealing the first phase of activity (11.75m in maximum length and 11m in maximum width), was irregular in plan with an average depth of 0.34m.
A group of six stakes, a large timber and other smaller wood elements were also found to the immediate north-west of Burnt Mound 1. A modern, L-shaped stone-filled field drain with maximum exposed dimensions of 9.8m by 0.4m and 0.42m in depth truncated the north-western edge of the burnt mound and likely also disturbed this group of wooden elements which have tentatively been interpreted as a wind-break.
A third peat deposit overlay the entire site sealing this burnt mound and the possible windbreak, as well as Burnt Mound 2 (described below).

Burnt Mound 2
A second burnt mound, sealed by a peat deposit, was located to the north of the site, closer to the stream, which was defined by a single deposit comprising heat-shattered stones in a charcoal-enriched soil matrix. Burnt Mound 2 was sub-rectangular in plan and measured 9.4m in length by 5.1m in width with a maximum depth of 0.31m. No features were revealed beneath the burnt mound.

Finds
Four lithics and a saddle quern were recovered from Cloonlurg 1 – the saddle quern and two chert flints were found within the primary peat deposit underlying Burnt Mound 1 and two worked flints were recovered from the single deposit of Burnt Mound 2.
The burnt mounds most likely date to the Bronze Age or the Iron Age. However, post-excavation analysis is ongoing, including radiocarbon dating, specialist analysis of environmental remains and comparative research, which will hopefully further enhance our understanding of the remains and provide a date for the site. A final report incorporating the results of this analysis is due to be completed in June 2021.

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