Fulacht fia

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a gentle S-facing slope, with a small pond just to the N that is the source of a small canalised stream that extends W and then turns S. Archaeological centre-line testing (04E1055) by D. Bayley (2005) at Testing Area 4 of Contract 5 in advance of the M3 motorway (excavations.ie 2004:1223) identified a spread of burnt mound material at the NE edge of the road-take that was partially excavated (E003173) by D. Gallaher between October 2006 and January 2007 as Drumbaragh 3 (excavations.ie 2007:1307). A large mound (dims 19.2m x 11.25m; D 1.34m) of black silty clay with heat-shattered stone and charcoal inclusions was cut NW-SE by the boundary of the road-take and much of the monument survives to the NE. A yellow/brown sand over a layer of peat within the mound represents a period of flooding and abandonment. Alder charcoal from the base of the mound provided a C14 date of 2016-1756 cal. BC (Beta 247166). The mound sealed a rectangular trough (dims 2.2m x 1.1m; D c. 0.1m) with an alder plank in its base. Hazel charcoal from the bottom of the trough yielded a C14 date of 2035-1775 cal. BC (Beta 247168). This was covered by a flood level of brown silty sand but a layer of black silty clay with heat-shattered stone above this provide a C14 date of 1886-1666 cal. BC (Beta 247167) from a sample of ash charcoal. There was a detached spread (dims 3.5m x 3.4m; T 0.02-0.08) of burnt stone outside the main mound to the NW, and burnt mound material filled hollows in the subsoil. (Gallagher at al. 2008)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 4 March 2022

References

Gallagher, D., Ginn, V. and G. Kelleher 2008 M3 Clonee – North of Kells, Contract 5 Final Report on the Archaeological Excavation of Drumbaragh 3, Co. Meath. Licence: E003173. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services

Bayley, D. 2005 M3 Clonee-North of Kells; Contract 5, Kells to North of Kells. Report on Archaeological Assessment at Testing Area 4 in Drumbaragh and Castlekeeran, County Meath. Licence: 04E1055. Unpublished report, Irish Archaeological Consultancy