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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Fulacht fia

Townparks (Navan Lower By.), County Meath, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Fulacht fia, Townparks, County Meath, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Townland
Townparks (Navan Lower By.)
County
Meath
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Not indicated
Latest-edition OS map
Not indicated
Coordinates
53.64823, -6.71708
SMR number
ME025-094002-

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1790 map "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

Historical maps covering this location

  • 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1799 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1811 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

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This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗

The National Monuments Service's description

Archaeological centre-line testing (04E583) by A. O’Connell (2005) at Testing Area 10 of Contract 3 in advance of the M3 motorway identified a burnt spread (excavations.ie 2004:1346) that was fully resolved (E003134) by K. Martin (2009) as a part of Townparks 2 in February 2006 (excavations.ie 2006:1645) when two fulachta fia were recorded. This was a spread of dark brown-grey, silty clay with frequent broken stone and charcoal content (dims 8m N-S; 6.5m E-W; T 0.06-0.11m) that overlay six pits or shallow depressions in the subsoil that were concentrated under the burnt mound. The pits (dims 1m x 1.1m; D0.28m to dims 2.18m x 1.18m; D 0.38m) could have heat-scorched bases but all had some broken and burnt stone in their fills, although none is recognised as a trough. Two C14 dates of 2402-2045 cal. BC (Beta 237332) and 2456-2059 cal. BC (Beta 237331) were returned from samples of hazel charcoal in their fills. There were two clusters of seven and eight stake-holes between the pits, and only two of the smaller pits impinged on others so they are all probably closely contemporary. Three gullies (Wth 0.54m; D 0.24m) extended end to end NW-SE (total L 10.7m) across the area beneath the burnt mound. One gully cut the edge of one of the pits, and they may have provided water for the pits. A sample of fruitstone charcoal from one of the gullies yielded a date of 2343-2041 cal. BC (Beta 237333). (Martin 2009, 3-5)

See the attached plan from Martin 2009 (fig. 9)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 13 April 2023

Martin, K. 2009 M3 Clonee-North of Kells. Contract 3 – Navan Bypass. Report on the Archaeological Excavation of Townparks 2, Co. Meath. Licence: E003114. Final Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services
O’Connell, A. 2005 M3 Clonee-North of Kells. Contract 3 – Navan Bypass. Report on Archaeological Assessment at Testing Area 10, Townparks, Robinrath and Knockumber, County Meath. Licence: 04E0583. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Sites and Monuments Record data: National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Record text is reproduced unchanged. National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland · CC BY 4.0
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