Fulacht fia

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated at the crest of a slight E-facing slope which is at the edge of a raised peat bog that extends off to the E and S. First identified in centre-line testing (05E0983) for a new line of the N4 (O’Connor et al. 2005, 43), and later fully excavated (E003311) as a part of Aghnahunshin. Excavation recorded three fulachta fia and associated features. This is a spread of topsoil mixed with burnt and broken stone (dims 10m x 5.1m; T 0.12m) which was truncated by many later drains but was overlying a denser mound (dims 8m x 5m; max. T 0.26m). This produced a C14 date of 3803 +- 30 BP (2350-2130 cal. BC), placing its use at the start of the Early Bronze Age. At the SW edge of the mound was a subcircular trough (dims 1.6m x 1.3m; D 0.36m) filled mostly with silts and some burnt stone but which produced a C14 date of 3864 +- 30 BP (2470-2200 cal. BC). Under the W edge of the mound were three shallow round-bottomed pits (diam. c. 1m; D 0.1m), which are interpreted as stands for baskets. There were larger pits on the E side (dims 2.2m x 1.5m; D 0.2-0.5m; 2.05m x 1.2m; D 0.5m; 1.6m x 1.2m; D 0.4m) which were filled with a mix of the burnt mound material and a peaty wash, from which a barbed and tanged arrowhead, a worked flint, a chert scarper and a what is probably an axe rough-out were recovered. Some of these pits were served by a channel (L c. 6m x c. 1m; D 0.2-0.8m; 7 4m x 1.1m; D 0.2-0.8m) and, being at a lower level than the trough, may have been dug to collect water the run-off water. (Seaver and O’Connor 2009, 14-16; Seaver 2009, 311-2)

Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 9 January 2020

O’Connor, D. J., Marta Muniz Pérez and Sheelagh Conran 2005 N4 Dromod-Roosky Bypass. Advance Archaeological Works Contract Licence No. 05E0983 Preliminary Report. Unpublished, CRDS

References

Seaver, M. 2009 Aughnahunshin. Prehistoric. In I. Bennett (ed.) Excavations 2006: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 311-2, No. 1199. Dublin, Wordwell

Seaver, M. and O’Connor, D. J. 2009 N4 Dromod – Roosky Bypass. Advance Archaeological Works Contract. Aghnahunshin. Ministerial Direction A 31 (A31-023/E003311) Final Report, Unpublished, CRDS