What is recorded here

Four centuries before Christ, hands cut a long ditch that still weaves like a living thing across the flat earth. They stopped only at gaps narrow enough to jump, as if the boundary wanted to be crossed but not forgotten. The heat-fractured stones in its pits suggest fire, work and repetition, while the later hearths and drying kilns prove the land kept giving up its warmth.

Archaeological testing in 2002 and subsequent excavation in 2003 was carried out in advance of construction along the route of the N8 Rathcormac-Fermoy Bypass. Excavation revealed a segmented ditch-like feature, two shallow bowl hearths, stake- and post-holes, thirteen pits and numerous bowl-shaped pits. The ditch feature (L c. 200m; D c. 0.5m; Wth c. 0.6m) had steep sides and a flat base and tended to weave from side to side along a general N-S axis. It was divided into five sections with offset gaps of c. 0.5m in between. One such gap was identified as the entrance, the ditch terminals being offset with a gap of c. 2m between them. No independent dating for the segmented ditch was obtained but, according to the excavator (Linnane 2006, 44), its form would suggest a prehistoric context and in addition, slag from its fill would indicate a Bronze Age date at the earliest. All of the thirteen pits contained significant quantities of heat-fractured stone. One of the pits was radiocarbon dated to 1910 cal. BC while one of the post-holes produced a date of 1000 cal. BC. In addition, two shallow bowl hearths produced a radiocarbon date of AD 530 cal. Finds from the excavation included four flint flakes and possible rubbing and whetstones. One of the pits contained a stone spindle whorl. Two drying kilns (CO035-137----; CO035-138----) were situated within the area to the E of the ditch. (O'Connell and Linnane 2006, 72; Linnane 2005; 2006) The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 5' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2009). Date of upload: 22 December 2009

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