Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Fulacht fia
Oldcastle, County Meath, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Oldcastle
- County
- Meath
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 53.77342, -7.16025
- SMR number
- ME009-117----
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1636 "Vltoniae Orientalis Pars" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Located on a level landscape. Archaeological testing (12E0023) by M. Ó Droma of a large area (c. 1.4 ha) for the purposes of a proposed development revealed evidence of a fulacht fia (excavations.ie 2012:472). In Area 1 (dims 30m x 20m) a denuded horseshoe-shaped mound of broken and burnt stone (dims 13m x 6m; D 0.1m) overlay a rectangular trough (dims 3m x 1m) filled with peat and heat-affected stone which was situated between the horns of the mound. In addition there were at least three pits (diam. 0.6-1m) filled largely with heat-shattered stone within 5m of the trough. A second spread of burnt stone and charcoal (dims 7m x 4m) located 9m WNW of the fulacht fia was accompanied by another pit (diam. 1m) and could constitute a second fulacht fia. A magnetometry survey (12R0045) by J. Bonsall (2015) that took place ahead of testing recorded numerous archaeological features, particularly an enclosure (ME009-116----) but evidence for the fulacht fia was quite weak in the magnetometry data, possibly owing to the effects of the gley soils. (Bonsall 2015)
Compiled by: Michael Moore
References
Bonsall, J. 2015 Survey of a Development Site at Oldcastle, County Meath. Detection Licence No. 12R0045. Unpublished report.
Nearby in the register
- Enclosureunder 1 mi
- Crossunder 1 mi
- Graveslab (present location)under 1 mi
- Churchunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.