Fulacht fia

The National Monuments Service's description

Located towards the bottom of a SW-facing slope of Lacken Hill, and on the N bank of a small E-W stream, with a larger S-N stream c. 100m to the W. An irregularly-shaped area of broken and burnt stone in a black matrix (dims 18m E-W; 13m N-S; D 0.3m) was identified in centre-line testing (E4067) for the N25 New Ross by-pass during 2009 and set aside for resolution as Ryleen 3 (Doyle et al. 2010, 40-1).
When excavated (E4119) a rectangular trough (dims 3.1m ENE-WSW; 2m NNW-SSE; D 0.4m) with a flat base and a group of five stake-holes in the NE corner was recorded. Just to the W a shallow pit or natural hollow (dims 5.8m WNW-ESE; 1.8m NNE-SSW; D 0.3m) with a collection of urburnt stone was truncated at the W by a pit (dims 1.7m x 1.5m; D 0.55m), and another large pit (dims 3.4m NE-SW; 0.83m NW-SE: max. D 0.4m) was SE of the trough (Clark and Hackett 2010g, 8-10). A second phase of activity that is probably prehistoric is represented by four intercutting pits (dims 0.68m x 0.46m; D 0.27m to 2.7m E-W; 1.92m N-S; D 0.54m) that cut through the burnt stone spread (ibid. 10-11). The pit (WX030-100----) is c. 70m to the NE. (Clark and Hackett 2010, 8-12; Hession and Hackett 2013)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 24 September, 2013

References

Doyle, L., Hackett, L., Hession, J., Marshall, M. Yates, D. and Bolger, T. 2010 N25 New Ross bypass road scheme, Cappagh, Co. Kilkenny to Knockroe, Co.Wexford. Archaeological services contract, Stage (1) – standard test excavation, wetland test excavation, townland boundary survey and architectural/built heritage survey. Test excavation report, under Ministerial Directions Number A52 (E4067) Unpublished report. Headland Archaeology Ltd.

Hession, J. and Hackett, L. 2013. Ryleen 3. Fulacht fia and associated features. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2010: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 260, No. 817. Dublin. Wordwell.

Clark, L. and Hackett, L. 2010 New Ross bypass road scheme, Cappagh, Co. Kilkenney to Knockroe, Co. Wexford. Archaeological Services Contract, Stage (iii) – excavation, post-excavation assessment report for Ryleen 3 in the townland of Ryleen, Co. Wexford. Unpublished report, Headland Archaeology.