The site, positioned on improved grassland that slopes down from the R252 road towards the River Finn, initially drew attention due to two pronounced hillocks on a long terrace. These features, combined with the presence of a rath on a similar nearby terrace, suggested potential archaeological significance; however, excavation with a mechanical digger proved the hillocks were simply natural undulations in the bedrock.

The real discovery came in the easternmost test trench, where excavators uncovered the remains of a burnt mound in a shallow depression at the field’s edge. This prehistoric feature, identifiable by its characteristic grey clay base and overlying layer of charcoal-blackened soil filled with heat-shattered stones, extended in a roughly circular pattern about 10 metres across. Burnt mounds, also known as fulacht fiadh, are amongst Ireland’s most common prehistoric sites, typically dating from the Bronze Age and thought to have been used for cooking, bathing, or industrial processes involving hot water and heated stones.

A second, smaller find emerged at the western end of the proposed roadway: a shallow, circular pit measuring 1.5 metres wide and barely 10 centimetres deep, containing charcoal over oxidised red clay that indicated in situ burning. Without any datable artefacts, its purpose and age remain mysteries. The remaining test trenches along the proposed road line revealed nothing but ploughsoil over natural gravels, confirming that most of this riverside terrace had seen little ancient human activity beyond these two isolated features.