Burnt spread in Farrankelly

A burnt spread was recorded in the W quadrant of Area 1A was excavated in 2020 under licence 17E0292 by Muireann Ní Cheallacháin for IAC Archaeology during construction phase of residential development by Cairn Homes PLC. Excavation was carried out in Area 1A following the identification of crop marks within the southwest corner of the proposed development a geophysical survey was carried out by Joanna Leigh in 2015 (Licence 15R0124). Following on from the geophysical survey, a programme of testing was undertaken in 2017 by Rob Lynch and Enda Lydon of IAC under licence no. 17E0292 (Lynch and Lydon 2017). Three areas of archaeology were identified in the testing assessment (Archaeological Areas 1–3). The remains are likely to be Bronze Age in date and are similar to other sites that have been recorded within the surrounding landscape. The core of Archaeological Area 1 comprises the two circular anomalies, an outer enclosure and associated features as identified in the geophysical survey and aerial photography in the southwestern portion of the site. Monument consisted of a'shallow spread of burnt mound material that was likely truncated by plough action in the recent past was recorded at the W extent of the site parallel to the Three Trout’s stream that runs north–south outside the site limit. The shallow spread sealed a possible trough feature which was sub-oval in plan and contained the same burnt mound material. Four pits were located directly to the east and are likely associated with the burnt spread activity. The largest of the four pits, pit C513, was located 2m to the southeast of the burnt spread and contained two fills with occasional charcoal and heat affected stone inclusions. Pits C516 and C519 were located within 1m of each other and 2–3m to the northeast of the burnt spread. They each contained a single fill with rare to occasional charcoal fleck inclusions. Pit C497 was located c.6m to the northeast of the burnt spread and contained a single fill with occasional charcoal fragments' (Ní Cheallacháin and Spencer 2020, 21).