Excavation - miscellaneous

The National Monuments Service's description

Found during excavation of ringfort (CO027-029---) (Monk 1995, 105ff); underlying NE quadrant of ringfort interior and its entrance area to SE. Under NE quadrant, probable plough or cultivation soil was overlain by groups and alignments of stakeholes; alignments undated but possibly associated with small hearth (diam. 1.1m) which produced Neolithic/Bronze Age scraper. Shallow subrectangular pit (exposed L 1.6m; Wth 1.12m; D 0.25m), underlying E bank of ringfort, contained 'probable Bronze Age pottery' (pers. comm. Rose Cleary); similar pottery found in nearby deposits. Another subrectangular pit (2.2m E-W; 1.1m N-S; max. D 0.6m) was found towards centre of ringfort, S of stakehole alignments; western *2/3 of base heavily oxidised, with charcoal deposits, burnt clay, stone and bone; eastern *1/3 stepped slightly higher, unburnt. Earthy N-S deposits overlying stakehole alignments interpreted as flattened earthen boundary; overlying this again was gravel surface delimited by curving stakehole line. Gravel surface immediately underlay ringfort bank. In entrance area, cultivation soil cut by double arc of stakeholes (C 3m); overlaid by possible bronze working area (C14 date cal. 430-540AD). Working area covered in turn by gravel surface possibly analogous to surface described above. (pers. comm. M. Monk)

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 4: North Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2000). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009