Fulacht fia

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated at the bottom of an E-facing slope in a gently undulating landscape. Archaeological centre-line testing (04E1053) by G. Mcloughlin (2005) at Testing Area 2 of Contract 5 of the M3 motorway (excavations.ie 2004:1189) identified two spreads of broken and burnt stone that were fully resolved (E003167) by I. Russell in October and November 2006 as Boolies 1 (excavations.ie 2006:1514). This spread of burnt and broken stone (dims 14m x 12m; max. T 0.19m) overlay a rectangular trough (dims 1.9m x 1.52m; D 0.27m) with a stake-hole at each corner and two at the NW, and a small quantity of cremated bone was recovered from one of the stake-holes. The trough was filled with burnt mound material and a sample of hazel charcoal from it returned a C14 date of 1266-1009 cal. BC (Beta 247135). A second subrectangular pit (dims 1.63m x 1.19m; D 0.18m) at the N edge of the mound was also filled with broken and burnt stone but it was V-shaped in section and could not have served as a trough. The fulacht fia (ME016-078001-) is c. 10m to the SW. (Russell and Ginn 2008, 2)

See the attached plan from Russell and Ginn (2008, fig. 7)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 4 March 2022

References

Russell, I. and V. Ginn 2008 M3 Clonee – North of Kells, Contract 5, Kells to North of Kells, Final Report on the Archaeological Excavation of Boolies 1, Co. Meath. Licence: E003167. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services

McLoughlin, G. 2005 M3 Clonee-North of Kells; Contract 5, Kells to North of Kells. Report on Archaeological Assessment at Testing Area 2 in Boolies, County Meath. Licence: 04E1053. Unpublished report, Irish Archaeological Consultancy