County: Roscommon Site name: Ballaghcullia 6
Sites and Monuments Record No.: NA Licence number: E005180
Author: Patrick Walsh
Site type: Burnt mound
Period/Dating: Bronze Age (2200 BC-801 BC)
ITM: E 575385m, N 788335m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.843912, -8.374038
Ballaghcullia 6 was excavated in advance of construction of the N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road Project in County Roscommon for Roscommon County Council (RCC) and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). The archaeological remains consisted of a burnt mound covering a trough and flagstone surface. The site was initially identified during a field inspection in the course of Stage (ii) Pre-excavation Services at a nearby burnt spread (Ballaghcullia 4; Registration No. E5122; Walsh & Kearney 2022).
The burnt mound comprised four layers of peat and charcoal-rich burnt mound material containing frequent heat-shattered stones. The mound was roughly sub-oval in plan, with a north-west to south-east long axis. Approximately one third of the mound lay within the road take but the full extent (c0.35m by c0.3m) was visible in the LiDAR imagery (Davis 2015). This excavated portion measured 26m (north-west to south-east) by 8.2m and a maximum of 1.1m deep.
A rectangular trough was found under the mound. It measured 1.46m by 0.8m in plan, and 0.06m deep. A sample of hazel charcoal from the burnt mound returned a Late Bronze Age date of 1190–918 cal. BC (UBA-47426; 2861±37). Organic residue (lipid) analysis from a sample of stone from the burnt mound suggests the presence of vegetation-derived organic matter of a woody origin, possibly roots found in soil.
In the base of the trough there were several pieces of decayed wood, orientated parallel to one another and aligned with the long axis of the trough. These wood fragments were probably the remains of this trough’s lining. A sample of oak charcoal from the fill of the trough returned an Early Bronze Age date of 1919–1746 cal. BC (UBA-47425; 3509±25).
A flagstone surface was also found embedded in the subsoil under the burnt mound, 0.9m southeast of the trough. This surface was sub-oval in shape, orientated north-northeast to south-southwest and measured 1.25m by 0.85m, with a depth of 0.05m. A modern stone-lined field-drain and a pit were also found at Ballaghcullia 6. These cut the surface of the mound.
During the processing of the samples three flakes of flint and chert lithic debitage (E5180:1–3) were recovered. Charred wood remains from the burnt mound and fill of the trough comprised hazel, ash, alder, pomaceous fruitwood, blackthorn/cherry, oak and willow.
Based on the two radiocarbon dates retrieved and the size of the mound it appears it may have been used over an extended period of time between the Early–Middle and Late Bronze Age. During the latter part of this time a small settlement and cremation cemetery were located just upslope at Ballaghcullia 3 (Walsh 2022). It appears that at least during some of its use this burnt mound was in and part of a settled and farmed landscape associated with that site.
Archaeological Management Solutions Fahy’s Road, Kilrush, Co. Clare. V15 C780
