Fulacht fia in Boyerstown

Situated on the S bank of a small canalised W-E drain which is c. 3m to the N, Archaeological testing (04E0580) by N. Fairburn of Testing Area 7 of Contract 3 in advance of the M3 motorway identified burnt mound material (excavations.ie 2004:1190) that was fully resolved (E003109) by L. Clarke (2008, 2-3) in a week at the end of July 2006 as Boyerstown 5 (excavations.ie 2006:1520). It consisted of a black charcoal-stained spread of broken and burnt stone (dims 9.4m E-W; 8m N-S; T 0.2m) overlying a layer (dims 9.4m E-W; 8m N-S; T 0.2m) of grey/brown silty clay with less burnt stone that sealed a flat-bottomed rectangular trough (dims 1.9m x 1m; D 0.48m). The trough was filled with broken and burnt stone and a sample of hazel charcoal from its fill provided a C14 determination of 2010-1760 cal. BC (Beta 241319). Charred grains of oats and barley were also in the fill. The base of the trough retained fragments of alder planks. A single pit (dims 1.6m x 0.9m; D 0.33m) outside the mound to the SW was also filled with burnt mound material. (Clarke 2008) See the attached plan from Clarke (2008, fig. 8) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 12 April 2023 Clarke, L. 2008 M3 Clonee-North of Kells. Contract 3 – Navan Bypass. Report on the Archaeological Excavation of Boyerstown 5, Co. Meath. Licence: E003109. Final Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services