Fulacht fia

The National Monuments Service's description

Identified during the monitoring of topsoil-stripping and associated plant excavations being carried out at the Arcon Mines, Galmoy, Co. Kilkenny, between November 1999 and March 2000. Initially identified as a large spread (dims. c. 10m N-S; c. 17m E-W) of blackened and fire-shattered stone immediately beneath the topsoil. A sub-rectangular trough (dims. 1.65m x 1.4m; D 0.75m), orientated roughly NW-SE, was located W of centre within the spread (Coughlan 2002, 172). There were two large angular stones at the NW and SW corners of the trough, not burnt, and two small stake-holes near the SE corner, cut through the base of the trough. The main deposit filling the trough consisted of blackened soil and fire-shattered stone, which was identical to the main spread of mound material covering the trough. It appears that the trough was extended on the W side by another, roughly oval, pit (dims. 1.25m x 1.1m; D 0.65m), roughly orientated E-W. (Coughlan 2002, 172).

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 9 May 2016

References

Coughlan, T. 2002 Castletown: fulacht fiadh (00E0048). In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavatios 2000: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 172, no. 521. Bray. Wordwell.