County: Kilkenny Site name: CASTLETOWN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 3:4.1–5 (vicinity of) Licence number: 00E0049
Author: Tim Coughlan, Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd.
Site type: Fulacht fia
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 626904m, N 672789m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.805426, -7.600975
Monitoring of topsoil-stripping and associated plant excavations was carried out at the Arcon Mines, Galmoy, Co. Kilkenny, between November 1999 and March 2000 (see Excavations 2000, No. 520). The topsoil-stripping formed part of the works associated with the construction of a new tailings pond at the mine. During the construction of the first tailings pond in 1996 a number of fulachta fiadh/burnt mounds were recorded, as well as a corn-drying kiln with associated industrial activity. In January 2000 a further three burnt mound sites were identified, and the following is a summary of the excavation of one of these.
The site was located immediately to the south of the limit of the borrow area excavated in 1996 and immediately north-west of 00E0048 (see Excavations 2000, No. 521). The site was initially identified as a large spread of blackened and fire-shattered stone immediately beneath the topsoil. The spread extended c. 8m east–west and up to 10m north–south. Preliminary investigation of the site indicated the presence of a probable trough and a number of associated pits.
The trough was identified located fairly centrally within the area of the site. It was orientated north-east/south-west, was cut through the natural subsoil and had maximum dimensions of 2.7m x 1.56m x 0.62m deep. However, at the south-western end the trough was only 0.3m deep, creating a 1m-wide ledge at this end. There was no evidence of any walling/lining around the trough. At the south-west end of the trough there were six stake-holes forming two parallel lines orientated north-east/south-west. Two stake-holes were located at the base of the deeper cut, with the other four at the base of the shallow ledge. It is not known what the function of these stake-holes was, but they may have supported some type of canopy. The trough was filled with deposits of dark mottled grey, sandy clay (0.05m deep), grey, silty clay with occasional inclusions of heat-shattered stone (0.4m deep), and material similar in nature to the main spread of mound material across the site, which represented the final backfilling of the trough.
There was no direct evidence on the site for the presence of a hearth. It is possible that the ledge at the south-west end of the trough could have served as the hearth area, but there was no evidence of scorching of the subsoil.
The mound of heat-shattered stone debris around the site of the fulacht fiadh probably originally took the form of the classic horseshoe shape, with the trough being located centrally within the arms of the horseshoe. No actual mound survived on site, having been ploughed out/levelled. The mound material was identified as a large spread of blackened soil and fire-shattered stone immediately beneath the topsoil. The spread was presumably originally larger but had been cut/disturbed to the north-north-east during the works in 1996. The spread had a maximum depth of 0.25m. At its edges the spread was only 0.01–0.02m deep. The heat-shattered stone was on average 0.1m in diameter and consisted roughly of 80% sandstone and 20% limestone.
2 Killiney View, Albert Road Lower, Glenageary, Co. Dublin
