Fulacht fia in Rathbane South

Identified during archaeological monitoring associated with the Limerick Main Drainage Scheme. Excavated under licence no. 00E0431 by Edmond O’Donovan (O’Donovan 2000), the results were summarised as following; ‘The initial archaeological excavations led to the identification of a horseshoe-shaped mound consisting of charcoal and heat-shattered sandstone measuring 13m north–south by 14m, with a maximum depth of 0.2m. An area of burning filled the open end of the horseshoe to the west. Two troughs, C17 and C18, were identified under the burnt mound material; a third feature either pre-dated the mound or was an uncompleted trough. These were located towards the centre of the mound and on an east-south-east/west-north-west axis. A thin layer of compact, plastic, grey/purple clay lay under the sandstone (though not within the troughs) directly over subsoil. This was interpreted as a buried sod. A total of 80 features were excavated: 58 stake-holes, 5 plank settings, 4 modern linear field drains, 3 troughs, 2 pits and 8 other features. Trough C17 was sub-oval in plan and contained a subcircular arrangement of 35–8 stake-holes cut within its base, which was lined with a thin deposit of sand. A later addition to the trough was cut into its eastern extent. Trough C18 was subrectangular in plan with near-vertical sides and had five plank-holes and one stake-hole cut within its flat base. Two artefacts were recovered, a flint flake and a chert hollow-based arrowhead. The association of the hollow-based arrowhead with the site suggests a date for the monument in the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age. The site was clearly multi-phased; however, the span over which this ranged awaits the confirmation of radiocarbon dating. A further feature, not visible on the surface prior to excavation, was discovered approximately 15m to the north of the site. It consisted of a V-shaped cut (pit, 0.72m deep, 2.8m east–west) associated with a thin band of charcoal-rich clay running c. 7m east–west (www.excavations.ie; 0607). Radiocarbon dating of charcoal from the lower fill of the trough indicated occupation at the site between 2199 and 1983 BC (O’Donovan 2002, 26). Compiled by: Martin Fitzpatrick Date upload: 26 June 2020