Fulacht fia in Corbally (limerick Municipal Borough)

On wet ground at the E edge of Corbally ridge where it meets marshy ground 200m W of the River Shannon. Lucas Pond, a wide linear wet ditch, is located 5m to the E. A truncated Fulacht fia site was excavated under licence No. 02E1177 in advance of pipe laying on the Limerick Main Drainage Scheme (O’Donovan 2002; O'Donovan 2004). Distinct, black, charcoal-rich, sandy clays were identified under the burnt-mound deposits, these were interpreted as the old sod under the mound. Two areas of the burnt stone, clay and charcoal were uncovered by the excavation (dims. 10.8m EW x 3.5m NS x 0.24m D). The mound is very likely to have been larger, as truncation of the mound is evident on the N, S and W. The W end of the site was characterised by a deposit of burnt stone and charcoal. This deposit comprised of moderately compact, black clay with very frequent (80-90%) inclusions of burnt sandstone of varying size (dims. 0.05-0.06m up to 0.15m L). The E surviving deposits of the burnt mound comprised black sandy clay with very frequent (80%) inclusions of burnt sandstone (dims. 0.03-0.08m L). The SE edge of the mound was composed of burnt stone in brown clay. The identification of the fulacht fia at Corbally is further evidence of widespread settlement and occupation in County Limerick over a long time period in the Bronze Age. The site parallels other examples of similar monuments excavated during the development of the Limerick Main Drainage Scheme (LI013-175----; LI013-170----) and on the Sothern Limerick Ring Road (LI005-105----; LI005-099----). The identification of cereal grains at Corbally from the mound begs the question of their origin. Two cereals grains are hardly evidence of food production at the site, and it is more likely that either the grains were brought accidentally to the site or the site was close to a prehistoric field system where the crop was grown. See attached photographs of excavation taken from O'Donovan 2002 Compiled by: Edmond O'Donovan Date of upload: 16 July 2020