Earthwork, Milltown (Coshlea By.), Co. Limerick
Co. Limerick |
Ritual/Ceremonial
Not every entry in an archaeological record is a triumph of ancient engineering.
Some are, by the surveyor's own admission, probably nothing of the sort, and that honesty is itself worth noting. In reclaimed pasture in the townland of Milltown, within the barony of Coshlea in County Limerick, a cluster of linear earthworks radiates outward from a natural water-filled hollow, giving the whole arrangement an almost deliberate, spoke-like appearance from the air. The trouble is that appearances from the air can deceive, and the official assessment of this site sits firmly in the category of doubtful antiquity.
The earthworks were first flagged as a possible archaeological feature when an oblique aerial photograph was taken on 5 January 2003 as part of the Aerial Survey of Ireland's Archaeological Patrimony programme. Seen from above, the lines spreading out from the central pond-like hollow looked, at first glance, like they might be the remains of something older. But closer analysis suggested a more mundane explanation. The site lies on the demesne lands of Riversfield House, a property located roughly 370 metres to the east, and the linear features are now thought to be a mixture of palaeochannels, which are the ancient, silted-up courses of former watercourses, and drainage channels associated with the landscaping of that estate. The land itself sits about 130 metres south-west of the River Loobagh, which forms the townland boundary with Mountcoote. Crucially, nothing resembling these earthworks appears on the Ordnance Survey Ireland historic six-inch maps, which were produced in the nineteenth century and are generally a reliable guide to what was visible on the ground at that time. Their absence from those maps is one of the stronger arguments against an ancient origin. The record was compiled by Martin Fitzpatrick and uploaded in September 2021.
For anyone curious enough to seek the spot out, the surrounding countryside is quiet agricultural land, and access would need to be arranged with the relevant landowner. The feature is not marked or signed, and there is nothing on the ground that would immediately distinguish it from ordinary field drainage. The most useful way to orient yourself is via the River Loobagh to the north-east and the general position of Riversfield House to the east. What you would be looking at, in all likelihood, is the residue of estate landscaping rather than prehistory, but the uncertainty is part of the point. Aerial photography occasionally surfaces ambiguous traces like this, and the archaeological record is the richer for including them, qualified assessments and all.