Fulacht fia

The National Monuments Service's description

On a small rise, in otherwise low‐lying and poorly drained, rough pasture, bounded by the old N7 to W and a housing estate to S. Fulacht fia (LI006-107002-) in Area B was located to SE, near the S edge of the site. Not depicted on OS historic mapping. Identified by Aegis in 2006 during test trenching (Ministerial Direction Number A026, NRA Reg. E2329) prior to the construction of the Southern Limerick Ring-Road and excavated in the same year by Áine Richardson as part of Rich Hill 1 (Richardson 2009, 4). This was designated Area A and was located in the NW portion of the site on a low rise.
The fulacht fia in Area A consisted of three clay lined troughs, two possible boiling pits, three
roasting pits, one fire dump pit, a large shallow pit with an associated platform, a large pitwith an adjunct access pit, various additional pits, numerous stakeholes and a burnt mound (ibid, 11). One of the troughs underlying the burnt mound cut into earlier features and was in itself cut by a roasting pit. Another trough and a number of pits also truncated the burnt mound. This indicated that there were at least three probable phases of activity associated with the fulacht fia. Three radiocarbon dates taken from the key features returned a consistent date of Middle Bronze Age.
An irregular-shaped burnt mound (c. 27m N-S; 11m E-W; D 0.4m) consisting of heat-shattered stone and charcoal inclusions. During the excavation multiple sections were cut through its body to show an apparent frequency of individual burnt mound deposits which increased from S to N (ibid, 16). This was reflective of the increased archaeological activity towards the centre and N of the mound. The mound was cut by a clay lined trough and four pits (ibid). Hazel charcoal was recovered from a sample taken from the clay lined trough and it was radiocarbon dated to 1126 – 945 cal BC (2σ) (UBA‐12318) returning a date range sometime between the end of the Middle and the start of the Late Bronze Age (ibid, 14).
Approx. 6m to S of the trough was a rectangular-shaped boiling pit. Charred hazel nutshells and a single grain of barley were recovered from a sample taken from one of the boiling pits. It also yielded a piece of chert debitage classed as an inner flake (E2329:191:109) (ibid, 11). Alder charcoal was recovered from a sample taken from the subrectangular-shaped pit. It was radiocarbon dated to 1267 – 1045 cal BC (2σ) (UBA‐12323) dating this feature to the end of the Middle Bronze Age. A large subrectangular-shaped pit (L 6.8m; Wth 3m; D 0.8m) with an access pit was cut into the burnt mound towards the N end. Hazel charcoal was recovered from a secure context which returned a radiocarbon date of 1207 – 1014 cal BC (2σ) (UBA‐12315) dating this feature to the end of the Middle Bronze Age (ibid, 18).

See attached location map from excavation report.

Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly

Date of upload: 3 July 2020

References

Richardson, Á. 2009 N7 Nenagh to Limerick high quality dual carriageway: Archaeological resolution project, Mountshannon Site 1. License No. A026/176, E2329. Final excavation report. Unpublished report submitted to the National Monuments Service, Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Dublin.