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 Toom 1 (Hardy et al. 2010, 73). It is situated in the valley of a small E-W stream, which is c. 10m to the S. Full excavation (E4168) by M. McNamara revealed a NE trough (dims 1.35m x 1m; D 0.4m) truncated at NW by a pit (dims 2.75m x 1.79m; D 0.25m), and a truncated SW trough (dims 1.87m x 1.36m; D 0.65m). The troughs were c. 3m apart and both were beneath a burnt stone spread (dims 7.5m NE-SW; 3.6m NW-SE; max. T 0.31m) that was partially covered at E by silt from a N-S palaeochannel . The channel was partially excavated (E4167) as Toom 2 (McNamara 2013b) together with a hearth (dims 0.75m x 0.56m; D 0.3m) that was located c. 10m N of the fulacht fia, which the hearth probably served. The channel (exposed L 7.25m; exposed Wth 3m) was filled with a grey silt that had flecks of orange clay and small pebbles. The NE trough produced a C14 date of cal. BC 968-823, and from the SW trough the dates varied from cal. BC 1042-908. The fulacht fia (WX020-102----) is c. 85m to the WSW and the unrelated hearth (WX020-107----) is c. 130m to the SE in Ballydawmore townland. (McNamara 2012; 2013a; 2013b)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 28 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 Unpublished.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).

McNamara, M. 2013a Toom 1. Burnt-stone spread, troughs, pit, post-hole and palaeochannel. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2010: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 263-4, No. 826. Dublin. Wordwell.

McNamara, M. 2013b Toom 2. Possible hearth and palaeochannel. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2010: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 264, No. 827. Dublin. Wordwell.

McNamara, M. 2012 M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy scheme, Co. Wexford. E4168, Toom 1. Stage (IV) Final Excavation Report for Wexford County Council. Unpublished report, TVAS (Ireland).