What is recorded here

Five irregular pits sat close together near Rathcormac, waiting for a road to reveal them in 2003. One pit cut through two others, suggesting a long sequence of digging rather than a single event. Animal bones and charcoal filled parts of them, pointing to human activity between AD 370 and 630, yet their exact purpose remained unclear even after excavation. They may have marked a forgotten ritual, a waste dump, or a boundary now lost beneath grass and traffic.

Five large pits were excavated in advance of the construction of the N8 Rathcormac-Fermoy Bypass in 2003. All five pits were in close proximity to each other and were morphologically similar, being irregular in shape. One of the pits cut two others. Fragments of animal bone were retrieved from two of the pits. According to the excavator (Cotter 2006d, 60), the function of the pits was not apparent. Three charcoal samples were recovered from the fills of three of the pits and two of these returned dates of AD 370-540 cal. and AD 430-630 cal. (Cotter 2006e, 31-2). (Cotter 2006d, 60; 2006e) The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 5' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2009). Date of upload: 22 December 2009

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.