What is recorded here

Seven and a half metres of burnt stone and soil still mark the south bank of a vanished river channel in Ballycarrane. The water rose and fell around the pit, stealing its northern edge and smoothing the trough into mystery. People may have gathered there to heat stones, cook food or clean tools, while the river took back whatever proof they left behind.

On the S side of a former river channel, in poorly drained pasture, 37m E of the townland boundary with Ballyloughnaan and 70m to N of a stream marking the townland boundary with Monearla. Not depicted on OS historic mapping. Monument identified as a fulacht fiadh (Site A) during monitoring of topsoil stripping along the route of the N20/N21 Adare to Annacotty road scheme (Deevy 2001, 1). Monument excavated by Mary Deevy in 1999 and described as one of a pair of fulacht fiadh (Sites A and B) which were situated on either side of a dried-up river channel running E-W, possibly a tributary of the River Maigue (ibid). The fulacht fiadh at Site A was a roughly circular-shaped spread (diam. 7.5m; D 0.15m) of burnt material (Deevey 2001, 1). A cut feature uncovered beneath the spread may originally have been a trough, however, this had been badly truncated across the N side and it was not possible to determine its exact function (ibid, 2). This side of the burnt spread had also been disturbed and displaced, probably by water action during the rising and falling of the adjacent river. No additional pits, which could have served as a definite troughs, survived. No other artefacts or animal bone were recovered from this fulachta fiadh. See attached location map taken from Deevy 2001 Compiled by: Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly Date of upload: 10 August 2020

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