Fulacht fia

The National Monuments Service's description

In a field of damp rush-grown pasture, converted to forestry. This fulacht fia was discovered in 2002 during archaeological monitoring on the Lough Mask Regional Water Supply Scheme. At the time of discovery the mound was intact. It appeared as a sod-covered, roughly circular mound (12m x 11m; H 0.75m) with a slight depression indicating the probable location of a trough. It lay outside the pipeline wayleave and was not impacted by the water scheme (Guinan 2015, 113, 115-116, Cloontumper II). During winter 2012/2013 a forestry development was undertaken in the field and, in the course of the works, the fulacht fia was levelled and bisected by a forestry trench. The outline of the mound is still evident as a very slightly raised, circular area (c. 13m E–W; c. 11m N–S) bisected on the S half by the E–W forestry trench (Wth 1m; D 0.3-0.4m). A dense concentration of angular burnt stone fragments, in a matrix of black charcoal-rich soil, is exposed in the base and in the section faces of the trench. There is a burnt mound (MA102-55----) 15m to ENE, and another burnt mound (MA102-54----) c. 45m to NE.

Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 25 June 2013

References

Guinan, B. 2014 Archaeological investigations on the Ballyhaunis Water Supply Augmentation Scheme in county Mayo. Excavations in Devlis and Hazelhill. Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society 66, 1-14