Fulacht fia

The National Monuments Service's description

Located in a slight hollow at the bottom of a N-facing slope. 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 a spread of broken and burnt stone that was fully resolved (E003166) by I. Russell in October and November 2006 as Boolies 2 (excavations.ie 2006:1515). This is a spread of grey/black clay with burnt stones and charcoal (dims c. 12m E-W; c. 5m N-S; max. T 0.25m) which overlay two troughs and three pits. The troughs are both rectangular (dims 2m x 1.32m; D 0.23m: dims 1.88m x 1.48m; D 0.29m) and flat-bottomed and each trough has a stake-hole at each angle. Both troughs were filled with the burnt mound material. Two large pits (dims 1.6m x 1.5m; D 0.42m: dims 2.24m x 2.1m; D 0.16m) and one small one (dims 0.44m x 0.4m) were also beneath the mound and filled with layers of broken and burnt stone. Other small pits were located c. 12m to the W and c. 17m to the N. Only one C14 date of 2271-1977 cal. BC (Beta 247136) derived from a piece of hazel charcoal is available from the pit W of the monument. (Russell and Ginn 2008, 2-4)

See the attached plan from Russell and Ginn (2008, fig. 8)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 4 March 2022

References

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 Unpublished report, Irish Archaeological Consultancy

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 2, Co. Meath. Licence: E003166. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services Unit