Fulacht fia

The National Monuments Service's description

In marshy wet scrub woodland in the NE corner of Lough Gur 5m S of the old shore line. Knockadoon Peninsula is located to SW. The site is located within an area of dense archaeological activity dating principally from the Neolithic and Bronze Age up to the present day around the lake (Cleary 2018). A dovecote (LI032-022029-) is located 130m to WSW; the Early Medieval settlement site known as the ‘Spectacles’ at Drumlaegh (LI032-014012-) is located 315m to NNW; a Middle Bronze Age house site (LI032-014014-) and a Food Vessel Burial (LI032-014013-) were uncovered and excavated 200m to N; a crannóg (LI032-027----) lies 110m to NW and Bourchier’s Castle (LI032-022034-) stands 120m to S.
The site is not depicted on historic OSi maps nor is it visible on OSi orthoimage taken 2005-12 or on Digital Globe orthoimage taken 2011-2013. The area of burnt stone and animal bone was described by Windle in correspondence, recorded by O’Kelly (1944, 30) as follows; ’in the Windle MSS. Letters there is a mention of what appears to be Fulacht Fiadh near Bourchier’s Castle on Knockadoon, near the edge of the lake. Though the site of this could not be identified with absolute certainty, the above location is probably correct. There is nothing on the site now to indicate its presence. [Windle stated] ‘It is said that intermixed with burnt stones were numerous fragments of animal bones and a great number of large fluted teeth…………..those of the large deer whose antlers abound in the neighbourhood'. The tree and scrub woodland are visible on the former lakeshore on Google Earth orthoimages 25/03/2017 and 28/06/2018.

See attached Google Earth orthoimages

Compiled by: Edmond O’Donovan

Date of upload: 25 November 2020

References

O'Kelly, M.J. 1944 A survey of the antiquities in the barony of Small County, Co. Limerick. North Munster Antiquarian Journal 4, 16-53.

Cleary, R. 2018 The archaeology of Lough Gur. Dublin. Wordwell.