Excavation - miscellaneous

The National Monuments Service's description

In gently undulating pasture, c. 1.5km to SE of the River Shannon. Not depicted on OS historic mapping. Identified by Tracy Collins in 2006 during test trenching (Ministerial Direction Order A026/180, NRA Reg. E2333) prior to the construction of the Southern Limerick Ring-Road and excavated in the same year by Aidan Harte as part of Sallymount 2 (Harte 2011, 4). The remains of a cremation pit, five possible postholes and a pit were identified during testing and further investigations revealed a second cremation pit, six pits, seven postholes, three spreads and nine stakeholes (Harte 2011, 4). The results of the excavation and radiocarbon dating of the site confirmed three phases of activity on site. The earliest was the cremation which dated to the Middle Bronze Age (ibid). The second phase of activity was from a spread concluded to be derived from a charcoal production mound kiln which confirmed a date during the Early Medieval period (ibid, 4-5). The third phase related to the post-medieval/early modern period and related to an agricultural function (ibid, 5).

See attached location plan from excavation report.

Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly

Date of upload: 2 July 2020

References

Harte, A. 2011 N7 Nenagh to Limerick high quality dual carriageway: Archaeological resolution project, Gortnalahagh Site 3. Licence No. A026/169, E2322. Final excavation report. Unpublished report submitted to the National Monuments Service, Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Dublin.