Fulacht fia

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on the south-eastern bank of the modern stream cutting (Pollbrandy on Ordnance Survey maps) 17.40m NE of MA085-005009-. No trace of original stream course survives. The fulacht fia is located on a relatively flat patch of ground. It consists of a low, semicircular mound (NNE–SSW 12m, NNW–SSE 7.5m, H 0.40m max. on the north-eastern side) opening to NW towards the stream. Apart from the north-eastern arm, the rest of the fulacht fia is very indeterminate, fading almost imperceptibly into the surrounding ground. A possible revetment stone protrudes from sod close to centre point: possibly part of a revetment facing the trough area. A number of other stones are ranged along the edge of the modern stream cutting, and although they do cut across the arms of mound, they are probably part of a defunct earth and stone boundary running along the old stream bank. In the south-eastern face of the stream bank, an extensive but thin layer of burnt stone (c. 0.5m. in max. thickness) is visible, with particular concentrations at the points where the arms of the mound come close to the edge of the modern cutting. At one point, close to north-western arm of the fulacht fia, there is a particular concentration of charcoal c. 0.5m below the present ground surface. Finally, it should be noted that there is also a large concentration of burnt stone on the opposite (north-western) side of the stream cutting (L c. 6.5m, T c. 0.6m). Although this may be part of the fulacht fia on the south-eastern bank, it could also represent the remains of a separate mound. The width of the modern cutting at this point is 4.5m.

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.