Fulacht fia

The National Monuments Service's description

Identified in centre-line testing (E4110) in advance of the M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy road scheme and set aside for resolution as Frankfort 1 (Hardy et al. 2010, 32-3). It is situated on an E-facing slope and was partially excavated (E4181) by B. Sutton. A spread of burnt mound material (dims 10m x 9.5m; max. T 0.2m) overlay two pits (diam. 0.8m; D 0.29m: 0.55m x 0.5m; D 0.18m) cut in clay with some burnt stone in the fills. There were smaller spreads separated from the main mound, which extends to the S beyond the excavated area. The earliest phase was an oval trough (dims 1.8m N-S; 1.5m E-W; max. D 0.78m) with five stake-holes at the edges of the base. The trough was filled with burnt stone material and deposits from the hillslope, suggesting a period of abandonment. A larger rectangular trough (dims 3.3m E-W; 1.9m N-S; D 0.5m) truncated the oval trough. It had four stake-holes in its base, three stake-holes in a line on its N side and a cluster of 10 stake-holes to the W. An area of burning and a hearth to the S were associated with it. A large pit (dims 4.7m NNE-SSW; 3.2m WNW-ESE; max. D 1m) just NE of the rectangular trough and which might be associated with either trough is interpreted as a water reservoir. A C14 date of cal. BC 2189-1953 was derived from the fill of the oval trough. The unrelated metalworking site (WX011-067----) is c. 200m to the WSW. (Ruttle 2011; Sutton 2013)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 26 November, 2013

References

Hardy, C., Nugent, L., Homan Reid, R; O'Liathain, N; Whitty, Y.; and Coleman, C. 2010 N11 Gorey to Enniscorthy scheme. Archaeological Consultancy Services, Stage (1)a. E4110. Testing report for Wexford County Council. Unpublished. TVAS (Ireland).

Sutton, B. 2013 Frankfort 1: burnt mound. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2010: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 244, No. 758. Dublin. Wordwell.

Ruttle, E. 2011 M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy scheme, Co. Wexford. E4181, Frankfort 1. Stage (IV) Final Excavation Report for Wexford County Council. Unpublished report, TVAS (Ireland).