Fulacht fia

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on the southern bank of a modern stream-cutting 35m upstream (to SW) of a bridge on the North Road. The site lies close to the outflow point from the working bog at Park, at a point where the original stream would have emerged from it before drainage and turf-cutting became extensive. The site is overlooked by a small hillock on the northern side of the stream, but otherwise the immediate surroundings are flat. Two exposures/spreads of heat- fractured stone were noted (MA085-002001-, MA085-002002-).

Some 14m upstream (to W) from western limits of MA085-002001-, a small exposure of small stones (L 0.1–0.2m max.) was noted on top of the southern face of the cutting. Some of these bear traces of heat fracture. This exposure extends over an area c. 4m E–W and extends back from stream bank for c. 0.5m. Furthermore, c. 7m S of the stream at this point, another loose spread of heat-fractured stone occurs on the surface of the bog. However, as the latter spread is only c. 12.5m SW of the westernmost exposure of MA085-002001- in the stream bank, it may pertain to the latter site: it could be within the dumping range of a mechanical excavator. While these exposures and spreads of burnt stone may well represent two separate fulachtaí fia, it is also conceivable that they are all related to/derived from one site.

The above description is derived from: New Survey of Clare Island. Volume 5: Archaeology. Edited by Paul Gosling, Conleth Manning and John Waddell. (Royal Irish Academy, Dublin. 2007). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated.

Date of upload: 29 November 2018

References

Gosling, P., Manning, C. and Waddell, J. (eds.) 2007 New Survey of Clare Island, Volume 5: Archaeology. Dublin, Royal Irish Academy.