Burnt mound in Lismoran

In the SE foothills of the Ox Mountains, in rough heather-grown pasture which was converted to forestry in December 2016. The burnt mound (c. 10m NE-SW; at least 7m NW-SE) is located in a natural hollow of damp ground, bordered to NW by a steeply rising slope and to SE by a broad, raised spine of rock outcrop, to S of which ground falls away steeply. The burnt mound was exposed in section in a forestry trench, and was discovered during archaeological monitoring of the forestry works. A dense layer (L c. 9m NE−SW; D 0.3-0.35m) of small, angular, heat-shattered stone fragments in black, charcoal-rich soil is visible in the trench (Wth 0.7m; D 0.5m). At the NE limits of the layer, a number of large stones and slabs protrude from the section face, and large stones are also evident in the upcast material bordering the trench; it is possible that they represent remnants of a trough or other structure associated with the burnt mound. An intact portion of the mound can be traced in the area bordering the NW side of the trench. It is evident as a very low, grass-covered rise, overlain by the NE−SW field wall which lies 2m to NW of the forestry trench. On the NW side of the wall, in the adjoining field, an area of firm, grass-covered ground (c. 5m NE−SW; c. 4m NW−SE), free of the heather and scrub, represents the W-NW limits of the mound. Another burnt mound (MA061-225----) located 15m to SW, and a third (MA061-226----) 40m to SSE. Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 24 January 2017

Burnt mound in Lismoran is a Bronze Age ritual or domestic site, characterised by a heap of heat-shattered stones. Its location in a damp hollow suggests possible use for water heating or ceremonial purposes, typical of burnt mounds across Ireland.