Burnt mound

The National Monuments Service's description

Eighteen potential archaeological sites were found during monitoring of topsoil-stripping on the Celbridge Interchange, from April to December 2001 (Licence no. 01E0306). The scheme was approximately 4km in length and ran from Celbridge to Leixlip through gently undulating land with a mixture of arable, pasture and woodland. The southern part of the scheme runs through an area heavily influenced by 18th-century landscape design, with avenues, woodland and tree-lined field boundaries centred on the early 18th-century house at Castletown.
This site (Site 9), visible in section as a 4m stretch of burnt stone and charcoal, was subsequently resolved under Licence no. 01E0998. The discovery of burnt mound-type material during monitoring suggested that this site was a fulacht fia. No trough or hearth was found in the excavated area but since the site continues to the north this interpretation cannot be discounted. Two large postholes in the west of the site had a structural appearance and may have been part of a larger structure incorporating an L-shaped feature in the east, or may have been a separate structure or fence line. Burnt mound material, a pit and a quernstone suggest that some kind of industrial activity took place on site. Specialist analysis of the soil samples, saddle quern and bone will give further insight into the function and date of this site. (www.excavations.ie)

Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy

Date of upload: 10 June 2011