Fulacht fia

The National Monuments Service's description

On the N outskirts of Ballina town, located at the edge of a marshy, water-logged area, with rising ground to S and W. This fulacht fia was discovered during archaeological monitoring of topsoil stripping in advance of a development project, and was subsequently fully excavated (licence no. 98E0284) in 1989 (King 1998). It consisted of a low mound (13.5m N–S; 11.5m E–W; H 0.2-0.5m) of heat-shattered stones (sandstone and limestone) in a matrix of black soil and charcoal fragments. The mound had been levelled in the past, and cut through by an 18th/19th-century drain and by a modern pit containing a horse skeleton. A trough was found beneath the NE edge of the mound. It was oval (L 1.55m NE–SW; D 0.55m) in plan, with steeply sloping sides and a concave base. During the excavation, the trough was noted to fill naturally with water. Another fulacht fia (MA030-103----), located 20m to SE, was also excavated. (King 1998).

Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 22 July 2019

References

King, P. 1998 Report on 1) Monitoring of topsoil removal and 2) The excavation of two fulacht fiadh, near Ballina, Co. Mayo. Licence no. 98E0284. 24th September 1998. Unpublished report submitted to NMS.