Metalworking site

The National Monuments Service's description

Excavated (00E0059) as Area 25 of the N25 Kilmacthomas re-alignment. Situated at the N end of a broad S-N spur of Treacy's Hill overlooking the NW-SE Mahon river which is c. 550m to the E. It occupies the same location as Neolithic (WA015-094001-) and Bronze Age (WA015-094002-) settlement.
Two bowl-furnaces were revealed as charcoal and slag-filled pits. One pit (dims. 1.13m x 1m; D 0.43m) had iron slag and produced a C14 determination of cal. AD 420-690. The pit had a channel at one side where the bellows may have been attached. A second furnace just 3m to the E was a pit (dims. 2.2m N-S; 1.4m E-W; D 0.48m) which produced traces of copper and a C14 determination of cal. AD 650-780. A third pit (dims. 2.2m x 1.6m; D 0.3m) just 2m to the S had no traces of burning and may have provided clay for the furnaces. (Tierney and Frazer (2002; Tierney 2008)

Compiled by: Michael Moore.

Date of upload: 17th December, 2010.

References

Tierney, J. and Frazer, W. 2002 Treacy's Hill, Graigueshoneen. Medieval. In Bennett, I. (ed.) Excavations 2000: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 331, No. 993. Bray. Wordwell.

Tierney, J. 2008 Early medieval iron- and copper-smelting: Area 25, Cooltubbrid East td., Licence No. 00E0059. In Johnston, P., Kiely, J. & Tierney, J. 2008 Near the bend in the River, 107-09. NRA Scheme Monographs, No. 3. Dublin.