Fulacht fia in Doonan

Testing was carried out at Doonan, Co. Donegal, on 9 and 10 January 2007 by Declan Moore of Moore Archaeological & Environmental Services Ltd, under licence No.07E0002. The proposed development involves the construction of 49 dwelling houses (NGR 191300 / 378800), the demolition of a derelict house and shed and the installation of all ancillary services. The subject area is located 300m to the southwest of DG093–012----, a ringfort. Outline planning permission to build was granted by Donegal County Council subject to an assessment prepared on the basis of at least one trial-trench. A preliminary site assessment was carried out in 2006 involving a field inspection. The site occupies an irregular area located in the townland of Doonan, situated north of the N56 Donegal–Killybegs road and east of a river that flows through Duncan’s Bridge. The site can be divided in two, between boggy marginal pasture to the north and better grazing land to the south. Two features were noted during the inspection: a recumbent stone to the south-west of the subject areas and a possible fulacht fiadh to the south near Rosslee House. Each field had a minimum of one linear trench mechanically excavated through it. Testing exposed a generally uniform stratigraphy consisting of sod and topsoil on boulder clay on the dryer more elevated ground and mossy grass and rushes overlying marly clay and peat in the more low-lying ground. Testing near the recumbent stone failed to produce any archaeological finds or features; however, heat-fractured stone in a charcoal-rich matrix was exposed in the vicinity of the possible fulacht fiadh (Bennett 2010, 77-8). Compiled by Caimin O'Brien Date of upload / revision : 18 November 2011