County: Sligo Site name: CALTRAGH (Site 6)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 00E0819
Author: Sébastien Joubert
Site type: Fulacht fia
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 569076m, N 834743m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.260579, -8.474621
A well-preserved fulacht fiadh was identified during the course of a field survey commissioned by Sligo Corporation in relation to the proposed Relief Road. The exposed area of the monument, which was not recorded in the RMP for Sligo, was 14m north–south by 12m. The highest point of the mound was 0.6m above the existing ground level. The purpose of the testing was to establish its full extent beneath the peat cover and to provide an estimation of time for a full excavation of the monument. Three test-trenches were opened in November 2000.
The first trench was sited directly on top of the monument and measured 1m square. Three definite layers of burnt material were exposed. The full depth of the burnt mound at this location reached 1m. Peat-like material was exposed below the burnt mound.
The second trench (6m by 1m) was opened on the west of the fulacht fiadh and was aligned east–west. It appeared that the western edge of the mound was truncated by a wide modern cut associated with the laneway located to the north of the monument. No burnt material was exposed on the west of this modern feature.
The third trench (3m by 1m) was opened on the eastern edge of the monument and was aligned north–south. It was opened here to determine the relationships between the fulacht fiadh, the peaty material and a drystone wall exposed further to the south, which seemed, during probing, to run towards the fulacht fiadh. It appeared that stratigraphically the burnt mound overlay the peat, which overlay the drystone wall. This relationship was important for the rest of the field system identified in all the adjoining fields, as it gave a definite prehistoric date.
Seamount, Upper Rosses, Rosses Point, Co. Sligo
