Excavation - miscellaneous

The National Monuments Service's description

On flat wet pasture 310m E of the River Maigue and the townland boundary with Ballynabanoge. One of a group of five prehistoric sites (LI031-212/213/214/215----) excavated within 500m on the Bord Gáis Éireann's Pipeline to the West in 2002 in Inchinclare and Rosstemple townlands (Grogan, et.al. 2007).
Three pits were archaeologically excavated (02E0551, Taylor 2004). The fills of the features were similar and consisted of dark grey silty clay with moderate quantities of burnt stone and flecks of charcoal. No artefacts or datable material was recovered.
Pit 2 was amorphous in plan (2.8m N-S; 1.7m E-W and D. 0.23m) with concave sides and a fairly flat base. As the entire feature was not revealed, it is possible that the excavated evidence represents the terminus of a wide curvilinear feature extending into the adjacent field. The fill of the pit also spread beyond the E limits of the feature. A late post-medieval stone-filled drain cut across the pit. Pit 8 was a linear feature with slightly bulbous ends (2.64m N-S; 0.8m E-W and D. 0.22m). Pit 9 was a small teardrop-shaped feature (0.95m E-W; 0.5m N-S and D. 0.22m) with steep sides and a concave base.
The archaeological remains uncovered at the site are typical of the miscellaneous types of features that were uncovered during the construction of the pipeline. These consisted of pits containing charcoal and fire-heated stone. The features have parallels with Fulachta fia sites, a prehistoric, likely Bronze Age date is proposed.

Compiled by: Edmond O’Donovan

Date of upload: 22 October 2020

References

Grogan, E., O'Donnell, L. and Johnston, P. 2007 The Bronze Age landscapes of the pipeline to the West. Bray. Wordwell.

Taylor, K. 2004 Inchinclare (BGE 3/71/1). In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2002: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 324, No. 1180. Bray. Wordwell.