Burnt spread

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on a natural elevation at the NE end of Lough Mourne, c. 45m SE of a Neolithic cairn (DG086-002001-). Discovered and fully excavated in 2011 during an archaeological excavation at the cairn carried out in advance of the proposed development of a dam at Lough Mourne (Delaney 2013).
This consisted of a shallow spread (3.8m NW−SE; 2.2m NE−SW; D 0.2m) of charcoal, burnt clay and some heat-shattered stone, and was interpreted as a hearth or remains of a fire (Delaney 2013, 18). The charcoal fragments were identified as belonging to three species, oak, hazel and alder. A sample of alder charcoal sent for radiocarbon analysis returned a middle Bronze Age date, 1726-1523 BC (UBA 19990) (calibrated to 2 sigma). A flint core, a flint flake, and a fragment of a quartz flake were recovered.
The burnt spread is one of a complex of monuments found here: An Early Bronze Age wedge tomb (DG086-002004-) was found 50m to NW, at the SW end of the Neolithic cairn (DG086-002001-); a pit (DG086-002006-), with associated burning, located c. 25m to NW, was also dated to the middle Bronze Age, and a Late Bronze Age fulacht fia (DG086-002007-) was found c. 60m to NW. (Delaney 2013).

Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 16 January 2018

References

Delaney, S. 2013 Final report of an archaeological excavation undertaken at Lough Mourne, Co. Donegal. For URS, on behalf of Donegal County Council. Licence no. 10E0309, 10R0103. April 2013. Unpublished report submitted to National Monuments Service.