Fulacht fia in Ballynabarny

This report concerns the excavation of archaeological remains and deposits in Ballynabarny townland, in areas to be affected by the proposed route of the N11 Road Scheme between Newtownmountkennedy and Ballynabarny. Testing carried out by Ruth Elliot in October 2001 (Excavations 2001, No. 1331, 01E0968) identified several areas of archaeological potential. These features all lay to the south of the existing route of the N11 and are grouped in this report in three areas, the eastern and western (02E0425) and south-western Areas (02E0609). All areas lay on the north- and north-east-facing slopes of a hill overlooking Rathnew and were contained within boundaries defined on the south by a minor road heading west toward Glenealy from Wicklow and on the north by the N11. Work in the eastern area involved the excavation and recording of two fulachta fiadh (WI025-064----; WI025-064001-) on the highest part of the slope, at 105–110m OD. Both extended beyond the road construction zone, but the southern fulacht fiadh (WI025-064----) was at least 13m in diameter, and the northern one (WI025-064001-) was at least 10m. The southern fulacht fiadh had one possible trough beneath it, and the northern one had three probable troughs beneath it and another probable trough and a smaller pit immediately beside it. The northern mound partially overlay what appeared to be four agricultural furrows, with possible associated stray ard-marks, running parallel to each other at 1.5–2m intervals down the slope, one of which was cut by one of the troughs. The fulachta fiadh lay 18m apart, and several other, minor archaeological cut features, some containing burnt material, were investigated, all lying within 30m of the mounds. A piece of pottery provisionally dated to the Bronze Age was recovered from one of these outlying features, and this is considered to be the most likely date for the whole group of features, including the burnt mounds. The western area lay beyond a large pond (investigated under licence 02R081) and a small former stream channel running downslope from it to the north. Various cut features on the upper part of the hill slope and the western slope of the stream channel were investigated, which proved to be of minimal or no archaeological significance, with the exception of a group of up to twelve possible small pits or post-holes, in no obvious pattern, at the top of the slope (107–108m OD), which may have been of prehistoric date (Bennett 2004, 530). Date of upload: 24 October 2012