2024:544 - Tullagreen, Carrigtohill, Cork

Archaeological monitoring took place of groundworks relating to a development in Carrigtohill, County Cork. The development consist of the construction of new industrial buildings to the east of an existing industrial site. Monitoring was undertaken intermittently from January 2023, and followed a baseline survey that was undertaken by CRDS Ltd in 2022. This survey identified one recorded archaeological site within the proposed development lands, a Country House (RMP No. CO075-19) marked as Barry’s Lodge on the first and second edition Ordnance Survey Maps. The house is recorded as having been demolished in the late 1970s, and the land on which the house was sited has been largely developed prior to this development in the past. The survey also identified  evidence of activity in the landscape surrounding the site from at least the Neolithic Period - including four burnt mounds or fulachta fiadh, presumably dating from the Bronze Age.

As the proposed development would traverse areas of previously undisturbed greenfield, in an archaeologically-rich landscape, monitoring was undertaken intermittently from January 2023 to February 2024 when works were being undertaken in green/brownfield areas of the proposed development. Potential features were identified on 22 January 2024 (a pit that was preserved in situ) and on 1 February 2024 (a possible pit/linear feature). Following consultation with NMS the latter feature was excavated under the existing license, with the pit being preserved in situ. However, the pit (as the best preserved feature) was confirmed as dating to 2842-2496 cal BC (UBA-54684); this date confirms the pit, and by association probably the other linear feature/pit, date to the later Neolithic or early Bronze Age, a timeframe consistent with the known other fulachta fiadh close to the site. As all the features were either preserved in situ, or excavated, no further archaeological mitigation was proposed for this development.