Archaeological excavation report, 97E0328 Ballintotty Hall House, County Tipperary

This report outlines the results of an archaeological excavation in the townland of Ballintotty, County Tipperary in advance of the construction of the N7 Nenagh bypass. The site consisted of a hall house situated on the southern bank of a small but fast flowing river, the course of which appeared to have been modified in the modern period. The hall house was defended by a ditch and bank, which appeared to have originally extended unbroken to the north of the current location of the river. The construction and use of the enclosure and building have been dated to between the 12th to the 14th centuries AD. In addition a burnt mound was excavated on the northern side of the river, overlain by medieval ground surface deposits and truncated by the probable north side of the enclosure. This earlier site consisted of a single subrectangular trough, overlain by a series of charcoal-rich soils containing heat-shattered stone, and has been dated, by radiocarbon dating, to the Middle Bronze Age. Following consultation with North Tipperary County Council and D£chas (now Dept of Environment Heritage and Local Government) the site was covered with a layer of geo-textile and preserved in situ underneath the road embankment.