County: Roscommon Site name: Lettreen 1
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E005146
Author: Lydia Cagney, Ros Ó Maoldúin and Alan Healy
Site type: Cereal-drying kiln
Period/Dating: Iron Age (800 BC-AD 339)
ITM: E 592777m, N 783213m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.798417, -8.109638
Lettreen 1 was 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). The site consisted of a figure-of-eight cereal-drying kiln of Late Iron Age or early medieval date. It was identified during Stage (i)a Standard Test Excavations, carried out by AMS under Ministerial Direction (Direction No. A077, Registration No. E5070; Hardy 2021).
The figure-of-eight cereal-drying kiln, orientated west–east, measured 2.05m by 0.78–0.9m in plan and 0.29m deep, had moderately sloping and concave sides that broke gradually to a concave–flat base and contained three fills. All fills contained charred barley, oat and wheat grains, but the assemblage was dominated by barley. Some hazelnut, a cherry endocarp and ruderal weeds were also identified. A sample of hazel charcoal from the basal fill returned a 2 sigma date of cal. AD 264–535 (UBA-47432; 1649+27BP).
The upper fill also contained fourteen pieces of waste metalworking slag and some prehistoric pottery tentatively identified as Chalcolithic Beaker pottery. An amber-coloured glass bead fragment and some clay pipe stem fragments were recovered from the topsoil.
This report summary was submitted on behalf of its authors.
Reference
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 Unpublished AMS report for TII and RCC.
AMS, Fahy's Road, Kilrush, Clare
