Metalworking site in Castleroan

Two areas were opened up either side of the centre line. The southern comprised modern boundary ditches to the present road, fields and many furrows. Also a possible holding pool for water overflowing from the roadside ditch. Very poor remains of a post-medieval building c. 2m x 2m. Northern Area included a large bowl furnace and slag, charcoal spreads and nearby ditch along with a few possibly archaeological pits. This site was identified during testing along the route of the proposed N7 Castletown to Nenagh road improvement scheme. Excavation was carried out by Tori McMorran, for Valerie J. Keeley Ltd, in September 2007 under licence No. E3581. Two areas were stripped of topsoil. Area 1, the northern area, comprised a scatter of features indicative of metalworking. These include a bowl furnace containing a large quantity of iron slag, a linear trench containing a large volume of iron slag and charcoal, post-holes, stake-holes and a large spread of charcoal, stone and blackened clay. A narrow, shallow ditch ran north–south across the west end of the area. A small chert artefact, possibly a Mesolithic arrowhead, was discovered in an unstratified context. Area 2, the southern area, comprised the poorly preserved remains of a post-medieval/modern building, c. 2m by 2m in extent, as well as modern boundary ditches and furrows. The structure foundations comprised linear cuts filled with random rubble stone, clay and lime mortar. Central to the remains was a small hearth and a stone-lined and capped drain. To the south was the terminal of a wide, shallow east–west-aligned ditch. Scattered across these remains was a large volume of modern debris including glass, metal and ceramic fragments. A small number of possibly early post-medieval pottery sherds were removed from the ditch fill (Bennett 2010, 396-7). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien. Date of upload/revision: 08 November 2011