Fulacht fia

The National Monuments Service's description

Identified during archaeological monitoring of topsoil stripping associated with the Bord Gáis Éireann, Barnakyle to Coonagh West gas pipeline. Excavated under licence no. 02E1697 by Ken Wiggins (Wiggins 2003), the results were summarised as following; ‘A spread of charcoal-rich clay and burnt stone material was identified, measuring 3.6m (north– south) by 1.9m with a maximum thickness of 0.1m. The spread occupied a slight depression in the surface of the subsoil. A substantial pit/trough was sealed beneath the burnt spread. There were two other pits and a field drain of later date on the site. The trough was 1.6m in diameter and 0.35m deep. The fill was a mixture of burnt stone and charcoal-rich clay. Two later pits, F1 and F3, were cut into the centre of the burnt spread. F1 was 0.83m long, 0.48m wide and 0.16m deep. F3 was 1m long, 0.68m wide and 0.38m deep. Both were filled with grey/brown, topsoil-type clay. A drain, up to 0.2m wide, was aligned north-east/south-west through the centre of the burnt spread. It was filled with grey sediment and stones. No artefacts were discovered on the site, which appears from the burnt stone material to form the remains of a heavily ploughed-out fulacht fiadh’ (www.excavations.ie; Wiggins 2004, 307-8).

Compiled by: Martin Fitzpatrick

Date upload: 26 June 2020

References

Wiggins, K. 2003 Gas Pipeline to the west, Barnakyle to Coonagh West, Ballyveloge, Co. Limerick. Unpublished report (Licence No. 02E1697), submitted by Margaret Gowen & Company Ltd. on behalf of Bord Gáis Éireann to the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

Wiggins, K. 2004 Ballyveloge (BGE 4/1/1). Fulacht fiadh. In I. Bennett (Ed.) Excavations 2002: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 307-8 (No. 1121). Bray. Wordwell.