House - prehistoric

The National Monuments Service's description

On a gently sloping plain commanding extensive views of the surrounding landscape in pasture, 670m NW of Castle Ievers (LI031-088----) and 90m S of the townland boundary with Rosstemple. One of a large group of prehistoric archaeological sites (LI031-217/218/219/220----) excavated on the Bord Gáis Éireann's Pipeline to the West in 2002 (Grogan, et. al. 2007). A ringfort (LI031-086----) is located 280m to SW. No trace of the excavated monument was present on historic OSi maps or aerial photographs prior to the discovery of the site during pipeline construction.
The excavation area (12.6m N-S; 20m E-W) was on the NE side of the pipeline corridor and archaeological material extended N outside the limits of the Bord Gáis wayleave (Dennehy 2004). The site uncovered two distinct archaeological structures; a ring-ditch (LI031-216001-) and a metalworking site (LI031-216002-).
The ring-ditch enclosure (int. diam. 8m; ext. diam. 9m; D 0.3m) was composed of two curving ditches to the N and S separated by causeways in the NW (Wth 6.25m) and SE (Wth 1.55m) quadrants. The combined ditches defined a slightly raised circular platform. A blue bead was found in the N ditch. Both features were filled with grey/brown sandy clays.
No identifiable structures were identified within the ring-ditch and no stake / post-holes were identified in the ditches. A number of isolated stake-holes and large pits were found within and immediately outside the enclosure. Most of these pits contained sterile fills providing little insight into their function.
A group of nine large circular stake-holes (average diam.0.22m; D 0.19m) were recorded 3.5m NW of the ring-ditch. They were vertically inserted and were removed before decay. These stakes formed no coherent structure, but additional structures may be present to the N, outside the limit of the wayleave. A curvilinear ditch (L 1.31m) was excavated 0.1m S of the ring-ditch. A blue bead was also retrieved from this feature. The ring-ditch was interpreted as a surviving element from a domestic house.

See attached location map and plan of excavated ring-ditch taken from 2002 Excavation Report

Compiled by: Edmond O’Donovan

Date of upload: 28 October 2020

References

Dennehy, E. 2004 Tullerboy (BGE 3/72/3); Ring-ditch and ironworking site. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2002: Summary Accounts of Archaeological Excavations in Ireland, 346-7, No. 1261. Wordwell, Bray.

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