House - Bronze Age

The National Monuments Service's description

At the W end of a glacial ridge on a flood plain 750m E of the River Shannon. A contemporary trackway (LI005-097----) led to the Bronze Age round house (LI005-095002----). Two fulachta fia (LI005-096001/2-) were also excavated within 20m of the house. The house site (LI005-095002-) was located 8m SE of another Bronze Age house (LI005-095001-). The sites were all excavated as part of the Southern Limerick Ring Road, Phase II (Bermingham et. al. 2013).
The house was described as ‘Structure 316’ by Kate Taylor under license E2091. The excavation uncovered the ‘an oval arrangement of fourteen post-holes. The structure measured 8.4m NE/SW x 5.4m NW/SE and had no clear entrance. The post-holes varied in size and shape but none was particularly substantial (average dims. 0.35m W x 0.15m D), the area suffered erosion of the natural gravel. The post-hole fills were sterile, mid-grey brown sandy clays that produced no artefacts or dateable material’ (Taylor & Ruttle 2013, 12). Given the house sites close spatial location adjacent to the trackway (LI005-097----) and the Bronze Age house (LI005-095001-) to the NW, it is considered to be roughly contemporary.

Compiled by: Edmond O’Donovan

Date of upload: 21 July 2020

References

Taylor, K. & Ruttle, E. 2013 Limerick Southern Ring Road, Phase II, E2091, Coonagh West Site 4, Co. Limerick. Final Archaeological Excavation Report for Limerick County Council, TVAS Ireland Ltd.

Bermingham, N., Coyne, F., Hull, G., Reilly, F. and Taylor, K. 2013 River Road: The archaeology of the Limerick Southern Ring Road with contributions by Eoin Grogan, Penny Johnston, Linda Lynch, Stephen Mandal, Charles Mount, Joanna Nolan, Paul O’Keeffe, Helen Roche, Sara Pavía and Angela Wallace, NRA Scheme Monographs 14.

Taylor, K. 2004 Prehistoric features and an early medieval enclosure at Coonagh West, Co. Limerick. In J. O’Sullivan and M. Stanley (eds.) New Routes to the Past, 73-9. Dublin. Wordwell Books.