Fulacht fia

The National Monuments Service's description

Testing was carried out by Tim Coughlan of Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd under licence No. E2680 as part of an archaeological mitigation programme associated with the N6 Kilbeggan to Athlone dual carriageway. The site was identified during testing undertaken by Tim Coughlan of IAC Ltd in July 2005 (A016/029). The site was excavated in April 2006. An excavation area measuring 20m by 15m and 30m by 30m was opened. The site consisted of the remains of a fulacht fiadh/large burnt mound which sealed two probable troughs and connecting channel. The first trough was subrectangular in plan and was 2.5m long, 1.8m wide and 0.38m deep. The second trough was sub-oval in plan and 3.6m long, 2.8m wide and 0.4m deep. These troughs were all interlinked so that water would flow from the primary subrectangular trough into the oval trough. A total of 23 stake-holes were recorded evenly spaced around the perimeter of the base of the second trough, suggesting that it may have functioned as a ‘sweat-house’. A lithic find from archaeological investigations at Burrow/Glenanummer is an Early Bronze Age blade portion. Two bone pendants and a corroded iron object were also recovered from the site (Bennett 2010, 571).

Compiled by Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload/revision : 09 November 2011