Fulacht fia

The National Monuments Service's description

A large spread of heat-shattered stones and charcoal-enriched soil was discovered during monitoring of topsoil stripping along the route of the Caherbeg-Ballincollig Bord Gáis Éireann pipeline and was excavated in 1999. Excavation revealed a rectangular timber-lined trough (c. 2.2m N-S; c. 1.1m E-W; D 0.5m), the N side of which had been recently truncated by a pit. On the floor of the trough were four large planks orientated N-S which lay on a base (T 0.01-0.02m) of fine sand. Only fragments of the lining of the sides of the trough remained. In the NW corner of the trough beneath the deposit of sand, a cluster of four stake-holes was uncovered. These were interpreted as possibly supporting the vertical plank walls in this part of the trough. Around the E edge of the trough was a roughly laid stone surface (min. dims. 2.3m N-S; 1.3m E-W), the N end of which had been cut by the recently dug pit. As no evidence of a hearth was found, it was assumed to have been removed by the later pit. There is a stream c. 130m to the N. (Coughlan 2000b, 31)

The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 5' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2009).

Date of upload: 22 December 2009