Fulacht fia

The National Monuments Service's description

The Middle (1700-1200 BC) and Late (1200-800 BC) Bronze Ages are represented by the establishment of a field system, three flimsy structures that might be connected with it, this fulacht fia, and probably the length of path across the pond and the small four-post structure (7) on top of the ridge. This fulacht fia is located on a slight E-facing slope at the W edge of the seasonal pond on the shelf which is on the W side of the S-N spur. The pond would have been largely silted up by this period. A rectangular, flat-bottomed trough (dims 1.68m E-W; 1.26m N-S; D 0.3m) with a stakehole at each corner and two at the SE is at the W edge of a mound of brown silt with charcoal and heat-affected stone (dims 11.5m N-S; 5.8m E-W; T 0.3m). There was evidence of planking in a soft thin layer of black soil, and the trough was filed with a black stony silty sand with charcoal and heat-shattered stone. A fragment of hazel charcoal from one of the stakeholes provided a C14 date of 1208-1007 cal. BC (UBA 12924). A subcircular trough (dims 1.7m N-S; 1.4m E-W; D 0.3m) with a rounded base and some external stakeholes was 5m S of the rectangular trough and outside the spread of the mound. It had a stone base beneath three layers of silty sands with some charcoal and it was undoubtedly a trough that had been allowed to silt up naturally. (Walsh 2011, vol. 1, 114-16)

True location: ITM (675575, 774145)

See the attached plans adapted from Walsh 2011 (vol. 2, figs 5, 6, 20)
ME017-087_1 Site plan;
ME017-087_2 Contour plan;
ME017-087_5 Location:
ME017-087011-_1 Plan;

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 21 March 2022

References

Walsh, F. 2011 M3 Clonee – North of Kells, Contract 4, Navan to Kells and Kells Bypass. Final Report on Kilmainham 1C, Co. Meath. Licence: E003140. Unpublished report, 2 vols, Irish Archaeological Consultancy