Fulacht fia

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a slight N-facing slope. Archaeological centre-line testing (04E0584) by N. Fairburn at Testing Area 11 of Contract 3 in advance of the M3 motorway identified burnt mound material (excavations.ie 2004:1158) at two places that were designated Ardbraccan 1A and 1B and were fully resolved (E003115) by M. Mossop (2008) over three weeks in August 2006 (excavations.ie 2006:1486). In Area 1A (dims 40m E-W; 37m N-) two fulachta fia and a large cistern or well were recorded.
This is an oval mound (dims 12.5m NW-SE; 9.2m NE-SW; T 0.2m), from which a hone-stone was recovered overlay a stone-based hearth (diam. 1.7m; T 0.25m) from which a charcoal sample provided a C14 date of 2474-2210 cal. BC (BETA 247113). A circular trough (diam. 1.55-1.65m; D 0.83m) was immediately to the E and it was filled with four layers that had some animal bones but no burnt stone. The trough of fulacht fia (ME025-085002-) is c. 4.5m to the S. A small pit (diam. 0.6m; D 0.11m) c. 4m W of the trough was cut by a later field drain. A small well or sump (diam. 1.5m; D 1.2m plus) was S of the mound. Its clayey silt fill included cremated bone as well as bramble and raspberry fruit stones, and a sample of ash charcoal from it provided a C14 date of 1299-1026 cal. BC (Beta 247116). A metalled path (L 14.7m; Wth 2m) extends N from the sump and pre-dates the trough of this NE fulacht fia. (Mossop and Ruddle 2009, 2-5)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 11 April, 2023

Fairburn, N. 2004 M3 Clonee-North of Kells. Contract 3 – Navan Bypass. Report on Archaeological Assessment at Testing Area 11, Ardbraccan, County Meath. Licence: 04E0584. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services
Mossop, M. and E. Ruddle 2009 M3 Clonee-North of Kells. Contract 3 – Navan Bypass. Report on the Archaeological Excavation of Ardbraccan 1, Co. Meath. Licence: E003115. Final Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services