County: Clare Site name: KILLULLA
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 01E0342
Author: Deirdre Murphy, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd.
Site type: Fulacht fia and Pit
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 540110m, N 664935m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.732184, -8.886740
The N18/N19 road improvement scheme involves the construction of a new dual carriageway from Ballycasey northwards to Latoon South. A programme of archaeological works was undertaken along the proposed route in advance of construction. Archaeological resolution was undertaken at five previously identified sites and topsoil-stripping was carried out at twelve potential sites, under licence No. 01E0063 (see Excavations 2001, No. 62). One of the twelve potential sites, AR28, in the townland of Killulla, was listed in the original EIA as a possible enclosure. However, topsoil-stripping in this area failed to identify any enclosure and revealed instead a fulacht fiadh with associated features. This site was then excavated under the current licence.
The area exposed measured 125m by 75m, and 40 archaeological features were identified. For the most part these were confined to three main areas of the site: the north-western, the north-eastern and the south-eastern areas. Linear features, spreads, pits and a hearth were evident in the north-western area. Vague traces of a fulacht fiadh and pit were evident in the north-eastern area.
To the south-east two spreads of fire-cracked sandstone, representing an intact fulacht fiadh, were evident. This consisted of a large spread of loose, dark grey-black, silty clay containing 70% heat-shattered sandstone and 10% charcoal. A rectangular trough, a pit and a timber platform were exposed below the fulacht spread. The timber platform, which consisted of seven planks and ten dowels, barely survived and its maximum dimensions were 1.15m by 0.7m.
The pit was to the south-east of this and measured 1.15m by 1.32m, reaching a depth of 0.3m. A worked timber post-end was recovered from the fill. The trough was located to the north-east of this. It measured 1.8m by 1.5m. Excavation of the fill revealed a timber plank at the eastern extent of the trough that was still in situ. It measured 0.16m by 0.98m and was placed on its side in a vertical position, flush with the edge of the cut for the trough. Excavation also revealed five small post-holes in the base of the trough. The post-holes ranged from 0.06m to 0.1m in diameter and reached a maximum depth of 0.2m. Three post-holes were located at the western extent of the trough, while the other two flanked the northern edge of the timber plank, supporting it in position.
Excavation suggested that the majority of features were of late Bronze Age date, as is indicated by the radiocarbon dates obtained from charcoal samples taken from a hearth and a pit beneath the fulacht spread. These dates ranged from 1120–820 BC (3070–2780 BP) for the pit to 520–210 BC (2460–2160 BP) for the hearth.
Finds recovered from this site included a saddle quern, fragments of worked flint and chert, a possible chert arrowhead and a whetstone. Further stripping in the area adjacent to the site confirmed that no other archaeological features survived.
15 Trinity Street, Drogheda, Co. Louth
