County: Leitrim Site name: KILDORRAGH
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 94E0123
Author: Hilary Opie
Site type: Fulacht fiadh and Hut site
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 597951m, N 798213m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.933257, -8.031192
Archaeological excavations of a fulacht fiadh and roundhouse were carried out at Kildorragh, Jamestown, Co. Leitrim, over a three-week period between August 15 and September 1, 1994. The site came to notice during monitoring of topsoil clearance along the Drumsna-Jamestown by-pass scheme, when a spread of burnt sandstone, charcoal and soil was uncovered. There were no surface indications of the roundhouse or fulacht fiadh activity prior to machine clearance.
Upon excavation a circular hut/house site consisting of a ditch cut into the subsoil was observed. This had an external diameter of approx. 6.8m and an internal diameter of approx. 5.5m. The ditch was U-shaped, varied between 0.4m–0.5m in width and 0.15–0.3m in depth. The ditch terminated at the north-east leaving an entrance way approx. 1.4m wide. At this point the southernmost of the ditch termini turned in on itself. The ditch fill varied between burnt fulacht fiadh material and grey-brown organic marl. At the northern termini of the ditch was a concentration of charcoal. This is awaiting analysis but it is unclear whether this represents the remains of a post. No postholes were observed in the hut ditch itself, although a central posthole was observed within the hut. The interior of the hut consisted of a compacted trodden down floor of natural subsoil and a central hearth. In addition a large number of flint and chert tools, flakes and waste chippings were concentrated within and around the hut, suggesting this was an area of flint working.
Immediately to the south-south-east of the hut there was evidence of fulacht fiadh activity in the form of a pit cut into the subsoil and a shallow spread of burnt sandstone, charcoal and soil. This appears to be related to and contemporary with the hut site suggesting a domestic/habitation site. On the evidence of the worked flint and chert, a Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age date could be suggested for the site. It is hoped C14 analysis will refine this date.
16 Ormond Sq., Dublin 7, for Valerie Keeley -Schmidt
