Fulacht fia

The National Monuments Service's description

On the N shore of Galway Bay: located in an intertidal zone below the high water mark on a storm beach on the E edge of a small bay, the mouth of which faces SW.

Following the storms in January 2014 what was initially thought to be an ancient oak trackway was exposed (Irish Times 05 April 2014). On inspection in May 2014 the visible remains comprised four contiguous parallel timbers, aligned NE–SW, with a maximum traceable length of 1.5m and a visible width of 0.71m at the SW end and only 0.4m at the NE end. The upper surfaces of the timbers were roughly ‘squared’/levelled and ranged between 0.09m and 0.13m in width. The timbers appeared to be rounded below the levelled upper surface, but the area between them was filled with peat. At the NE end of the trackway the timbers were overlain by a layer of peat (T 0.15m) that was traceable for 1.7m to the NE of the timbers, at which point it was overlain by the pebbles/boulders of the storm beach. In this layer, and immediately to the N of the timbers, what appeared to be an unworked timber branch (traceable L 0.43m; Wth 0.01m) was visible. At the SW end the timbers ran in to a peat layer that was slightly higher than their upper surface levels. This layer continued for 2.6m to the SW, at which point it was truncated and could be seen to be only 0.06m thick coming down on to small shingle pebbles. An indentation (L 0.51m; Wth 0.03m at NE end; 0.12m at SW end; D 0.06m), which appeared to be pointed and was also aligned NE–SW, was visible in this peat immediately beyond the SW end of the trackway. It indicated the outline of another timber that had rounded/curving sides.

The monument was excavated in August 2014 (Licence no. 14E0343). It was found that the remains were not those of a trackway. The current hypothesis is that the material formed the base of a rectangular wooden trough measuring 1.5 by 1 metre in extent, encircled by 17 wooden stakes (which probably supported a wattle surround or wooden side-walls), and that it may be the remains of a fulacht fia or ancient cooking place. The timbers were recorded in situ and then lifted for further study and analysis, along with a number of the wooden stakes, and the entire beach was surveyed and any further evidence for underlying peats recorded. Samples of peat were also taken from the vicinity of the excavated structure for environmental analysis. Prior to the excavation a radiocarbon date had been procured for one of the floor timbers which dated it to between 1750 and 1700 BC. The timbers are currently in the care of the National Monuments Service and are being kept in an appropriate wet environment (pers. comm. F. Moore).

GA093-024----_01.jpg View of general location of monument
GA093-024----_02.jpg View of monument before excavation
GA093-024----_03.jpg View of monument under excavation

Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy and Olive Alcock

Date of upload: 20 August 2014