2001:210 - MEENANE, Cork

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Cork Site name: MEENANE

Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 01E0691

Author: Brian Halpin, Sheila Lane & Associates

Site type: Fulacht fia

Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)

ITM: E 577079m, N 584460m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.011685, -8.333893

No mound remains on this levelled fulacht fiadh, although a spread of charcoal-rich material, 14m in diameter, was encountered just below the topsoil. Beneath this thin spread the remains of a trough and a large unassociated shallow pit were found. The shallow pit measured roughly 5.32m in length and a maximum of 0.54m in depth and contained numerous fills; one piece of flint débitage was recovered.

The trough was unlined, U-shaped in section and sub-oval in plan. It was 3m long, 2.5m wide and 0.54m deep. Five fills were noted, all containing charcoal-rich material and burnt stone. A large number of stake-holes were located within and around the trough. Twenty-seven were positioned in a circular pattern at the edge of the base of the trough. There were 38 on the north-eastern surface of the trough. Thirty-six of these were directly on the surface while two were on the break of the slope. The stake-holes in the trough may have fixed a plank or wattle lining in place. It is likely that the trough was lined in some way as it was cut into sand and would not have retained water otherwise. No other evidence of any lining was apparent. A single large rectangular stone measuring 0.54m by 0.33m by 0.7m was in place at the western edge of the base of the trough. It is possible that this may have been incorporated into some form of lining, although this remains unclear. A degree of undercutting was evident at the eastern side of the feature. This was probably due to contemporary water action causing a minor collapse in the trough wall.

The stake-holes at the surface directly north-east of the trough may have supported a light structure, possibly some form of windbreak. The large number of stake-holes suggests that this possible structure was removed and re-erected on numerous occasions.

No other features apart from post-medieval/modern land drains were uncovered during the course of this investigation. Results on the carbon dating of the burnt material are awaited.

AE House, Monahan Road, Cork