Fulacht fia in Oirear Dhumhaí Mór

In Errarooey More townland, located in a narrow stream valley with steep rocky sides. This fulacht fia was discovered in the early 1980’s by the Archaeological Survey of Co. Donegal, who recorded it as follows: ‘A grassed-over mound approximately oval in plan 14m NW-SE and c. 10m NE-SW, it is about 1m at its greatest height. The edge of the mound along its S and W sides has been removed and a field wall built there. A U-shaped depression, its open mouth 3m wide, faces onto this field wall. Around the base of the mound apparently fire-shattered stone is visible. The site is located on a steep-sided narrow valley c. 3m W of a N-S running stream in wettish ground but there is drier pasture on the higher ground E and W.’ (Lacy 1983, no. 670, 102). In 2016 ground works and quarrying resulted in damage to the fulacht fia; part of the N, E and S sides of the mound were dug away, and the W side was buried beneath a heap of displaced soil which rose to a height of over 3m above the mound and extended for several meters to W. A fragmentary wickerwork feature (L 0.7-0.8m N-S; H c. 0.3m) was exposed on the damaged E face of the mound. A rescue excavation (16E0573) and conservation works were conducted on behalf of NMS over a two week period between 24th October and 8th November 2016 (Hawkes 2016). The aim of the excavation was to record and remove the wicker structure which was exposed to weathering and in a fragile condition, and to carry out conservation measures to preserve in situ the surviving portion of the burnt stone mound. The excavation confirmed that the wicker structure consisted of the W side of a wattle-lined trough. The E part of the trough had been destroyed. In its original form, the trough consisted of a circular or oval pit cut into underlying natural peat, and internally lined with vertical stakes and horizontal wicker sails. Remnants of a moss-lining were found packed between the wicker-work and the walls of the pit. The wicker lining allowed ground water from the underlying peat layer to seep into the self-filling trough, and the moss lining may have served to filter the water. Though damaged, a substantial portion of the crescent-shaped, mound (c. 10.3m N−S; 6.2m E−W; H 0.85-1m) of burnt stones survives, including the U-shaped depression noted on the W side in the 1980’s which may conceal a second trough. The mound was not excavated; the exposed layers of heat-shattered granite and quartz stones were recorded, and samples were taken for purposes of environmental and dating analysis. The fulacht fia remains in situ, covered by a protective geotextile membrane and an overlying layer of topsoil. Post-excavation analysis is ongoing. (Hawkes 2016) Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 18 May 2016