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 Ballygullen 4 (Hardy et al. 2010, 43). It is situated on a slight N-facing slope with an ENE-WSW drain c. 40m to the N, and it was completely excavated (E4203) by B. Sutton when an oval trough (dims 2.46m x 1.55m; D 0.4m) with steep sides and a concave base was recorded together with a second oval, steep-sided and flat-bottomed trough (dims 2.4m x 1.84m; D 0.51m) that was just 2m to the NE. There were also two pits (dims 1.6m x 1.4m; D 0.2m: 1.1m x 0.7m; D 0.12m) 4m to the SE and 6m to the ESE respectively of the second trough. These features were under deposits of burnt mound material (dims 2m x 1.5m; T 0.03m: 0.5m x 0.4m; T 0.14m: 0.5m x 0.3m; T 0.05m: 1.8m x 1.7m; T 0.1m) that had been truncated by modern drains, from which came the only artefact recovered, which was a post-medieval billhook. A sample from a secondary fill of the NE trough produced a C14 date of cal. BC 1300-1058 BC. The fulacht fia (WX011-072----) is c. 65m to the NE, and the prehistoric habitation (WX011-073----) is c. 200m to the S. (McAuliffe and Ruttle 2012; Sutton 2013)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of uplaod: 26 November, 2013

References

McAuliffe, F. and Ruttle, E. 2012 M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy scheme, Co. Wexford E4203, Ballygullen 4. Stage (IV) Final Excavation Report for Wexford County Council. Unpublished report, TVAS (Ireland).

Sutton, B. 2013 Ballygullen 4: displaced burnt mound. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2010: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 223-4, No. 706. Dublin. Wordwell.

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 Unpublished.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).