Fulacht fia

The National Monuments Service's description

On a broad terrace just above the Douglas and Dinin river valley floors. In a formerly marshy field, now reclaimed, with a stream running c. 15m to the S. One of four fulachta fia identified by Prendergast (1955, 1-10), the others are KK010-064---- c. 200m to the NW; KK010-065002- c. 160m to the E and KK010-065003- c. 54m to the NE. This fulacht fia was excavated by Prendergast (1955, 1-10) prior to being levelled. Described by Prendergast (ibid.) as, 'a well-defined kidney-shaped mound with a slight hollow at the centre and was bounded by a field-fence to the south. Traces of the familiar burnt layer were visible in the far side of teh fence where the dyke was cleared recently by machinery...the material of the mound underneath the sod and soil stratum was found to be burnt stones mixed with ashes and charcoal, graded as before and accumulated on top of the marl, there was a good deal of yellow clay in contact with the marl. The north-south cutting revealed the presence of a large pit approximately rectangular in shap, about three by two metres and up to half a metre deep, dug into the yellow clay and marl and now filled up with many stones and burnt debris. Adhering to the sides of this pit at both north and south ends was a small, thin strip of wood and on the floor level near each other were two hard whitish spheres resembling large marbles. One small flint fragment from the fill of this pit showed traces of burning but not of artificial shaping. The material surrounding the pit was carefully removed, but it was not practicable to excavate the entire mound. The bulldozer completed the levelling, the operator removing the mass in layers making it possible to observe some circular pits averaging a metre in diameter in the yellow clay and marl under the body of the mound and filled with the burnt mass. The edge of one of those pits showed faintly on the north-south section face'. The fulacht fia is not visible at ground level.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 18 December 2018

References

Prendergast, E. 1955 Pre-historic cooking places in Webbsborough district. Old Kilkenny Review 8, 1-10.