Fulacht fia

The National Monuments Service's description

Part of a fulacht fiadh was archaeologically excavated (Licence No. 01E0822). The site had been detected as a spread of burnt materialduring the monitoring of topsoil-stripping for the Hollybrook-Wicklow Bord Gáis Éireann pipeline. A small area, which measured approximately 6.5m north-south by 6m, was opened for excavation by hand. This corresponded with the western area of the pipeline driving track at the point where it met an east-west-aligned third-class road which links the N11 and the R761 regional road. A small stream flows east-west parallel to the road. The present channel of the stream appears to be modern. The base mapping used by BGE for the pipeline construction project indicates a small unnamed stream in this location. A loop can clearly be seen to the west of the Barnacoyle Big II site. Conversation with the landowner revealed that the stream was only placed into the current channel during the 1960s. The archaeological features were revealed because a larger area of topsoil was stripped owing to the need for storage and parking at a road crossing. The earliest activity revealed by excavation related to the bed of the since-diverted stream. Some five deposits of riverine origin were revealed in the former streambed. These sat in a depression in the northern part of the excavated area. The lowermost deposit encountered consisted of a waterlogged layer of friable grey sand with charcoal flecking. This was present throughout the area of the streambed examined, measuring approximately 6m east-west by 2.1-1.8m. The depth of this deposit was unknown as it was only partly excavated. A sherd of Bronze Age coarse ware was recovered from the portion of the deposit which was removed. A series of sterile river gravels sealed this deposit. A series of large water-worn limestone boulders were also present in the centre of the former streambed. The feature which initially attracted attention was a spread of heat-shattered stone and charcoal sitting at the point where the river gravels met natural boulder clay. This layer consisted of a moderately compact black clay and stone deposit with inclusions of heat-shattered limestone and sandstone fragments ranging in size from 40mm to 100mm. Inclusions of charcoal were also present in the spread; a particular concentration was noted in the eastern extremity of the part exposed. This deposit measured approximately 6.06m east-west by 1.6-0.96m as exposed, with a depth of 0.1-0.26m. No trough was encountered during the excavations. It is likely that the spread of heat-shattered stone and charcoal is representative of wider activity along the bank of the former stream (Bennett 2003, 412).

Date of upload: 29 Septmber 2012

References

Bennett, I. (ed.) 2003 Excavations 2001: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland. Bray. Wordwell.