Fulacht fia in Rathbane South

Identified during archaeological monitoring associated with the N20/N21 Limerick Bypass road scheme. Fulacht fia (LI013-172----) located 70m to S. Excavated under licence no. 99E0634 by Catherine McLoughlin (McLoughlin 1999), the results were summarised as following; ‘a spread of burnt stone within a charcoal-rich ploughsoil. The spread measured 14m north-south by 28m. The site consisted of several layers of soil, all of which had been disturbed by ploughing. These contexts, which contained varying levels of burnt stone and charcoal, overlay a series of subsoil-cut features. Unfortunately, the relationship between some of these features had been obscured by pre-construction engineering test-pits. The main phase of activity on the site was represented by a rectangular pit that held evidence of in situ burning. This pit, which had straight sides and a flat base, had a mean depth of 0.5m, measured 2.75m by 1.8m and was immediately identified as the trough or central feature of the site. A large circular pit with a maximum depth of 1.35m and an average diameter of 3.9m was immediately to the west of the trough. This feature was lined with a layer of clay, indicating that it had a water-holding function. The pit may have been used as a cistern to store the water necessary for the cooking process in the adjacent trough. This possibility is supported by the absence of naturally rising or running water in the immediate vicinity of the site, which was within an area of dry, natural gravels. Another feature, which ran diagonally across the site along a south-east/north-west direction, was also identified as having a water-management function. This gully, which fell steadily toward the north-west, had steep sides and a gently rounded bottom. It had an average width and depth of 1.1m and 0.48m respectively and ran for a recorded length of 15m. In common with the large pit, which was a minimum distance of 2m to the west, this gully had an applied clay lining. Unfortunately, the relationship between the two features was obscured by a pre-construction test-pit. Several smaller features (pits and stake-holes) were identified and excavated below the level of the burnt material; no archaeological features were identified beyond the spread of burnt stone. Although the various fills of the large pit mentioned above contained bones from both wild and domestic animals, no artefacts datable without scientific analysis were recovered from the site’ (www.excavations.ie; McLoughlin 2000, 179-80). Compiled by: Martin Fitzpatrick Date upload: 26 June 2020