Fulacht fia in Clooncolry

Situated on an E-facing slope overlooking a bog. First identified in centre-line testing (05E0983) for a new line of the N4 (O’Connor et al. 2005, 27), and later fully resolved (E003295) as a part of Clooncolry 1. An extensive mound of broken and burnt stone (dims 9m E-W; 6.8m N-S; max. T 0.2m) covered a pit and three troughs. The principal feature is a circular pit (diam. 1.8-1.9m; max. D 0.6m) with a flat base which was filled with four layers including a grey clay providing a waterproof sealing layer. A fragment of a polished stone axe was recovered from the pit and a sample from the fill produced a C14 date of 3825 +- 59 BP (2470-2060 cal. BC), placing it at the start of the Early Bronze Age. Just to the N a D-shaped trough (dims 2.4m x 1.2m; D 0.6m) had three layers, including a sealing layer of grey clay. A second trough (dims 1.9m x 0.9m; D 0.25m) with three fills produced a C14 date of 3890+-30 BP (2470-2280 cal. BC) which is very close to the other date. A third trough (dims 2m x 1.3m; D 0.12m) was filled with burnt stones but the upcast from its excavation was nearby. (McGowan and O’Connor 2009, 14-15) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 9 January 2020 O’Connor, D. J., Marta Muniz Pérez and Sheelagh Conran 2005 N4 Dromod-Roosky Bypass. Advance Archaeological Works Contract Licence No. 05E0983 Preliminary Report. Unpublished, CRDS