Burnt mound in Bawnfune (gaultiere By., Lisnakill Par.)

Situated on a gentle E-facing slope. Identified in centre-line testing (05E0763) of the alternate route of the N25 Waterford city bypass (Russell 2008b), and excavated completely (E3444) as Bawnfune 4 during 2007 (O'Hara 2010e). An irregularly-shaped burnt spread (dims. c. 6.5m x c. 6m; T 0.2m) overlay an oval pit (dims. 8.08m x 1.7m; D 0.4m) that was filled largely with a sandy silt, and some bone, which produced a C14 date of cal BC 1270-1020. A circular pit (diam. 0.69m; D 0.14m) was located c. 13.5m to the WSW, and the possible pond (WA017-131001-) is c. 50m to the W. (O'Hara 2009c; O'Hara and Ginn 2011h) O'Hara, R. (2009c) N25 Waterford bypass alternative route. Archaeological investigation. Contract 1. Final reprot on the Archaeological excavation of Bawnfune 4. E3444. Unpublished report. DEHLG. Archaeological Consultancy Services. O'Hara, R. (2010e) Bawnfune 4. Possible burnt mound activity. in I. Bennett (Ed.) Excavations 2007: summary accounts of excavations in Ireland, 511, No. 1804. Wordwell. Dublin. O’Hara, R. and V. Ginn (2011h) Bawnfune 4, Co. Waterford. in J. Eogan and E. Shee-Twohig (2011) Cois tSiúire – nine thousand years of human activity in the lower Suir valley. Archaeological excavations on the N25 Waterford city bypass, vol. 2, 16-17. NRA road scheme: Monograph 8, Dublin Russell, I. (2008b) Various townlands. in I. Bennett (Ed.) Excavations 2005: summary accounts of excavations in Ireland, 361, No. 1481. Wordwell. Dublin. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 13 May 2011

Burnt mound in Bawnfune is a Neolithic ritual or industrial site, dating to the early to middle third millennium BCE. Its significance lies in providing evidence of prehistoric land use and activity, including possible ceremonial or heat-related functions.