Fulacht fia in Belleek

On the N outskirts of Ballina town, located at the edge of a marshy, water-logged area, with rising ground to S and W. This fulacht fia was discovered during archaeological monitoring of topsoil stripping in advance of a development project, and was subsequently fully excavated (licence no. 98E0284) in 1989 (King 1998). It consisted of a low mound (13.5m N–S; 11.5m E–W; H 0.2-0.5m) of heat-shattered stones (sandstone and limestone) in a matrix of black soil and charcoal fragments. The mound had been levelled in the past, and cut through by an 18th/19th-century drain and by a modern pit containing a horse skeleton. A trough was found beneath the NE edge of the mound. It was oval (L 1.55m NE–SW; D 0.55m) in plan, with steeply sloping sides and a concave base. During the excavation, the trough was noted to fill naturally with water. Another fulacht fia (MA030-103----), located 20m to SE, was also excavated. (King 1998). Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 22 July 2019