Burnt mound in Cloonturk

Situated on a fairly level landscape, sloping down slightly to the NW. First identified in centre-line testing (05E0983) for a new line of the N4 (O’Connor et al. 2005, 25), and later fully resolved (E003292) as Cloonturk 2. A large spread of broken and burn stone (dims 8m x 6m; max. T 0.3m) was completely excavated and covered a pit (dims 1.2m x 0.96m; D 0.5m), the E half of which was filled with stone and the rest with peaty clays. A piece of struck flint came from the burnt mound and mound material produced a C14 date of 3976+-30BP (2580-2400 cal. BC) placing it at the cusp of the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age. Two smaller deposits of broken and burnt stone (dims 1.9m x 1.3m: 3m x 1.8m; T 0.1m) were in the vicinity and a sample from the larger produced a C14 date of 3775+_30 BP (2300-2050) placing it at the beginning of the Early Bronze Age. (McGowan and O’Connor 2008, 14-15) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 9 January 2020 O’Connor, D. J., Marta Muniz Pérez and Sheelagh Conran 2005 N4 Dromod Roosky Bypass. Advance Archaeological Works Contract Licence No. 05E0983 Preliminary Report. Unpublished, CRDS

Burnt mound in Cloonturk is a Bronze Age ritual or industrial site, characterized by the presence of heat-shattered stones and associated features. Its significance lies in providing evidence of prehistoric activity, possibly related to cooking, metallurgy, or ceremonial practices in an otherwise flat landscape.