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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Fulacht fia

Rinnaseer, County Mayo, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Fulacht fia, Rinnaseer, County Mayo, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Townland
Rinnaseer
County
Mayo
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Not indicated
Latest-edition OS map
Not indicated
Coordinates
53.82737, -9.40421
SMR number
MA078-068----

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1753 map "Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

Historical maps covering this location

  • 1753 · Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

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This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗

The National Monuments Service's description

Located at the edge of a WNW facing slope, adjacent a natural basin of peat overlying marl. This fulacht fia was uncovered at a depth of 0.3-0.4m below the surface during pre-development testing in May 2014 in advance of the construction of a football pitch (Excavation licence: 14E0144). It consisted of an irregular-shaped concentration (12m NE/SW; 6m NW/SE) of blackened soil and heat-shattered rocks with occasional charcoal. The outline of a subrectangular trough (1.7m NNW/SSE and 1.2m) was visible 1m to S. The trough was filled with re-deposited subsoil and heat-shattered rocks, and it was not possible to determine its exact form. The fulacht fia was disturbed in the past; it was cut on the NW side by a trench (Wth 1-1.3m; D to the NW) orientated NE/SW. To the W of the trench and down the WNW facing slope were two smaller areas of displaced burnt material. The first area (1.9m N-S; 1.3m E-W) was located 1.3m W of the main spread, and the second area (1.3m N-S x 0.6m E-W) was located 1.3m NW of the main spread. The fulacht fia was not fully excavated. It was covered with a terram membrane and 300mm of sand, and is preserved in situ below the football pitch. (Pers. comm. Richard Crumlish, consultant archaeologist, November 2015). There is a burnt mound (MA078-069----) located 50m to WSW.

The attached image is uploaded courtesy of Richard Crumlish:
MA078-068----_01.JPG viewed from S, with location of the trough indicated by ranging rods.

Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 9 November 2015

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Sites and Monuments Record data: National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Record text is reproduced unchanged. National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland · CC BY 4.0
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