Fulacht fia in Loughsallagh

Located on a fairly level landscape. A gradiometer survey (17R0229) by Target Archaeological Geophysics of an extensive development area of c. 75 ha in the townlands of Loughsallagh, Portan, and Gunnocks, identified numerous anomalies of potential archaeological interest. Targeted archaeological testing (18E0013) by T. Coughlan in 2018 and M. Piera (19E0211) in 2019 was able to demonstrate that many of these were of fairly modern agricultural origin. However, sixteen locations were set aside for further investigation, which was undertaken by J. Whittaker under the licence (18E0013) between the beginning of April and the end of July 2019, and all but four of these proved to be of archaeological interest. About 30m N of the ring-ditch (ME050-049002-) was the base of a rectangular trough (dims 1.58m x 0.95m; D 0.1-0.2m) which had a stake-hole in three of its corners. The two fills of brown sandy clay had a quantity of burnt stone and charcoal. There were no other associated features and no evidence of a burnt mound, but there was undoubtedly a fulacht fia at this location one time. Three small pits (diam. 0.5-0.8m; D 0.12-0.24m) were found 10-20m to the E which might not be connected with either monument but the largest of these pits (dims 1.41m x 1.24m; D 0.26m) had a high charcoal content, including burnt planks. (Whitaker 2020, 18-20 Site 6) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 9 November 2021