A beautiful Bronze Age axe and a number of ancient burial grounds have been unearthed near Roscrea during the construction of the new Dublin-Limerick motorway in the area. The bronze axe was found in Camblin, south of Roscrea. Archaeologists say the find dates to the later Bronze Age and appears to have been hidden in a shallow pit and never recovered by the person who concealed it. Two Bronze Age enclosed settlements with two ancient houses were found near the N62 Templemore Road.
     The report said the concentration of ancient sites discovered near the present N62 Templemore Road at Camblin reflected the location of the ancient Roscrea to Cashel routeway. A total of 23 ancient burnt mounds have been unearthed during the excavation works, the largest at Camblin. These burnt mounds, which were used for cooking food, typically date to the Bronze Age. Hot stones were dropped into water-filled roughs to heat water to boil meat.
     The find at the Camblin burnt mound included an ancient wooden crane used for lifting water out of a local well. The crane, known as a Shaduff, is often linked to Ancient Egypt and North African and the Camlin Shaduff has been described as 'an exceptional discovery' and 'the first evidence for such a machine being used in Bronze Age Ireland'.
     At the Nenagh end of the scheme a group of Bronze Age cremations were found at Derrybane. One burial pit contained an upturned pottery urn.

Source: The Nenagh Guardian (22 Febuary 2008)