Pit

The National Monuments Service's description

On flat former pasture now under the Parkway Roundabout to Plassey Rd. Junction Realignment Road, 500m W of the Groody River. An archaeological excavation under licence No. 01E0946 (dims. 15m EW x 10m NS) uncovered a small number of pits (Cummins 2001; Cummins 2003, 244-5). The pits were initially discovered during topsoil stripping under licence No. 00E0653 (O’Rahilly 2002, 201-2).
Two of the pits were located near the centre of the road. The first was oval (dims. 0.69m NS x 0.4-0.22m D). There were no finds in the charcoal-rich fill and the base was heat-reddened, indicating an in situ burning. This pit was disturbed by a later circular pit (dims. 0.44m W x 0.22m D). The fill contained charcoal and a single sherd of prehistoric pottery (tentatively identified as Neolithic). Another pit was uncovered 5m to the NW (dims. 0.98m EW x 0.7-0.25m D). The eastern side was fire reddened and the fill contained charcoal in quantities indicative of in situ burning.
The function of these pits was unclear. The burning may suggest a domestic activity, but no other habitation evidence was identified in the excavation cutting. The excavator suggested a ritual function, such as burial or a votive offering, however no cremated human bone was discovered. The interpretation of the site was hampered by modern activity. A field boundary ditch, tree root activity and cultivation furrows were recorded. Post-medieval field boundaries and buildings are illustrated close to the site of the excavation on the 1840 ed. OS 6-inch map and later 1897 ed. OS 25-inch map.

See attached location map taken from excavation report (Cummins 2001)

Compiled by: Edmond O'Donovan

Date of upload: 16 July 2020

References

O’Rahilly, C. 2002 Singland and Reboge Meadows: Monitoring. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2000: summary accounts of excavations in Ireland, 201-2, No. 612. Dublin. Wordwell.

Cummins, T. 2003 Singland: Pits. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2001: summary accounts of excavations in Ireland, 244-5, No. 802. Dublin. Wordwell.

Cummins, T. 2001 Report on Archaeological Excavations at Singland, County Limerick, Licence Number: 01E0946, by Tony Cummins, MA of Ægis Archaeology Limited, 16 Avondale Court, Corbally, Limerick. Client: Limerick Corporation, City Hall, Limerick City, October 2001.