2025:198 - Ballinrea 4, Cork
County: Cork
Site name: Ballinrea 4
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A
Licence number: E005494
Author: Siobhan McNamara, Rubicon Heritage Ltd.
Author/Organisation Address: The Glen Distillery Business Park, Old Whitechurch Road, Kilnap, Cork T23 HY01
Site type: Ditch and pits
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 572320m, N 565268m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 51.838951, -8.401674
Stage (iv) post-excavation analysis is still pending. Below is a preliminary bulletin.
Excavation at Ballinrea 4, as part of the Cork to Ringaskiddy Project, Co. Cork,
revealed a post-medieval ditch, likely associated with a road/trackway depicted on the First Edition 6-inch Ordnance survey map (published 1845/surveyed 1841) and surviving as a wide field boundary on the 25-inch map (published 1900/surveyed 1897), along with two currently undated pits containing charcoal-rich fills. A number of non-archaeological features were also identified, most of which were related to root burning and tree holes.
Four sherds of post-medieval pottery were recovered during the excavation, two from the upper fill of the post-medieval ditch and two from topsoil. Environmental samples from the pits have been processed and the charcoal has been identified as including oak and non-oak charcoal. A suitable sample from one has been selected for radiocarbon dating.
Area A: 572320, 565268; Area B: 572287, 565287; Area C(i): 572266, 565334; Area
C(ii): 572329, 565342; Area C(iii): 572299, 565314; Area D: 572284, 565385; Area E: 572258, 565401; Area F: 572207, 565443 (cutting centroid).