Fulacht fia in Coolroe

In pasture, located at the base of a low hill at the W edge of a boggy hollow. This fulacht fia was exposed during topsoil stripping in the course of works associated with the construction of a sewage treatment plant in an adjacent field to S. As the site lay outside the development area, it was not excavated but was recorded, covered by geotextile and backfilled. The ground level of this area was raised by 1.5m as protection from further disturbance. The exposed archaeological features covered an area of 5.4m NE–SW by 7.4m NW–SE and comprised four distinct adjacent spreads of heat-shattered stones and charcoal-rich soil, which were interpreted as the levelled remains of a fulacht fia. One of the spreads formed a distinct rectangular outline, 1.6m x 0.8m, that suggested it might represent an infilled trough. A flint core and a chert flake were recovered. (Pers. comm. Richard Gillespie, Mayo Co. Co) Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 24 February 2023