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 Ballymore 1 (Hardy et al. 2010, 47-8). It is situated on a gentle NW-facing slope at the bottom of Carrigroe Hill. It was excavated (E4265) by Y. Whitty as a rectangular pit or trough (dims 2.1m NE-SW; 1.9m BW-SE; D 0.4m) with a flat base covered in a black sandy silt with pebbles and two upper fills with no burnt stone material. A rectangular pit (dims 1.8m NW-SE; 0.84m NE-SW; D 0.14m) 2.5m to the SE was filled with a silty sand that had some burnt stone and charcoal. Three small pits (dims 0.85m x 0.6m; D 0.3m: 1.1m x 0.9m; D 0.3m: 0.3m x 0.26m; D 0.16m), the first with a post-hole in its base, extended S of this pit (L 5m). A linear feature with rounded edges (L 1.25m; Wth 0.5m; D 0.23m) just W of this line had traces of burnt stone material, and there was a layer (dims 5.3m E-W; 1.2m N-S; T 0.05m) containing burnt stone c. 8-11m SE of the first, most likely, trough. The features probably represent the remains of a severely truncated fulacht fia. Samples from the possible trough and from the post-hole produced C 14 dates of cal. BC 1112-906 and cal. BC 969-848 respectively. (McNamara 2012; Whitty 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 Unpublished.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).

Whitty, Y. 2013 Ballymore 1. Burnt stone deposits, possible troughs, pits and linear features. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2010: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 224-5, No. 709. Dublin. Wordwell.

McNamara, M. 2012 M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy scheme, Co. Wexford. E4265, Ballymore 1. Stage (IV) Final Excavation Report for Wexford County Council. Unpublished report, TVAS (Ireland).