County: Roscommon Site name: Gortnacrannagh 1
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E5080
Author: Clare Mullins on belalf of Archaeological Management Solutions (AMS)
Site type: Pits, linear features and post-holes
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 584910m, N 786520m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.827966, -8.229213
Gortnacrannagh 1 comprised two areas, 1 and 2, excavated in advance of construction of the N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road Project in County Roscommon by Archaeological Management Solutions (AMS) for Roscommon County Council (RCC) and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). A possible field system consisting of a rectangular enclosure was identified in LiDAR analysis in advance of these works (Davis 2015), the presence of which was confirmed by subsequent geophysical survey (Licence No. 15R0123; Bonsall & Gimson 2015). During the excavation of these features, Stage (i) Standard Test Excavations (Hardy 2021) identified a small pit c.150m to the east and these were included in the excavation of Gortnacrannagh 1 as Area 2. The on-site Stage (iii) Excavation Services at Gortnacrannagh 1 were undertaken by AMS between 18 November 2019 and 21 February 2020.
Area 1 contained thirteen linear and curvilinear features, five pits, six hearths, the remains of a post-medieval structure and several cultivation furrows. The linear and curvilinear features ranged in size from 43m long, 1.3m wide and 0.35m deep to 3m long, 0.85m wide and 0.25m deep and were orientated east–west or north–south, parallel or at right angles to each other, and may therefore be interrelated. Their form and arrangement suggest they were field boundaries or drainage ditches and clay-pipe stems found in their fills suggest that they are post-medieval in origin.
The pits ranged in size from 0.7m long, 0.82m wide, 0.06m deep to 0.27m long, 0.22m wide, 0.12m deep. Charcoal, burnt animal bone and charred wheat, barley and oats grains were recovered from the fills of the pits, with charred oats from one of the pits dated to cal. AD 1284–1395 (UBA-48081; 642±27BP). The hearths ranged in size from 1.2m long, 0.8m wide and 0.07m deep to 0.37m in diameter and 0.1m deep and displayed evidence of in-situ burning at the base and sides.
Charcoal and charred wheat, barley, oats and rye grains were recovered from one of the hearths, with a charred barley grain dated to cal. AD 1290–1396 (UBA-48080; 636±26BP). An eighteenth-century house was located in the south-eastern corner of Area 1. It was defined by a cobbled floor within a depression, a central hearth, a possible drain or drip gully and a stone-lined drain. A deposit of burnt clay and charcoal was located in the south-east corner, on the natural, outside the limit of the stone lining. It was 0.54m by 0.5m and 0.02m deep with no discernible cut. It lay upon the natural and contained several substantially sized pieces of animal bone. Charred oat grains were identified in a sample taken from this deposit, with a sample of charred oats dated to cal. AD 1684–1928 (UBA-48082; 107±26BP). A curvilinear gully, 6m long, 0.45m wide and 0.25m deep, partially encircled the pit on its northern side. There were also two stone drains to the southeast and northeast. Three areas of intense in-situ burning formed an east–west line between 2m and 3m north of the structure and ranged in diameter from 1.2–0.5m and in depth from 0.06–0.1m.
Area 2 was located c.150m east of the main excavation. It contained a small pit, which was circular in plan, 0.35m in diameter and 0.15m deep. A total of 21 finds were recovered from the site, including seven flint flakes; fragments of clay pipe; sherds of post-medieval pottery and fragments of glass.
References
Bonsall, J. & Gimson, H. 2015. Geophysical Survey Report, N5 Ballaghaderreen-Scramoge Road Development. Unpublished report prepared by Earthsound Archaeological Geophysics on behalf of Roscommon County Council.
Davis, S. 2015. N5 Strokestown-Ballaghaderreen corridor: LiDAR Assessment. Unpublished report prepared by UCD School of Archaeology for Roscommon County Council and TII.
Hardy, C. 2021. N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge Road Project Stage (i)a, (i)b, (i)c Test Excavation, Stage (i)m Testing in Felled Forestry and Stage (i)f Townland Boundary Survey. Ministerial Direction No. A077, Registration No. E5070. Unpublished AMS report for TII and RCC.
31 Millford, Athgarvan, Co. Kildare
