County: Clare Site name: KNOCKAUN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 01E0689
Author: Deirdre Murphy, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd.
Site type: Fulacht fia
Period/Dating: Bronze Age (2200 BC-801 BC)
ITM: E 540361m, N 663137m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.716057, -8.882699
The N18/N19 road improvement scheme involves the construction of a new dual carriageway from Ballycasey northwards to Latoon South. At construction phase topsoil-stripping was monitored along the proposed road route, and a fulacht site (AR45A) was identified along the proposed N19, south of a ringfort (SMR 51:139). It was in undulating land and the site spread over a large area, occupying almost the entire width of the proposed road.
The removal of the topsoil revealed two fulacht spreads of heat-shattered sandstone and charcoal with associated features and numerous agricultural furrows. The terrain consisted of swampy marshland with rock outcrops with thin soil cover. The furrows were cut into the boulder clay on a north-east-sloping outcrop as this was the only area suitable for ploughing in this marginal ground. The fulacht spread in the eastern area of the site was almost ploughed out, having been disturbed by the furrows, and it sealed a gully and an underlying pit. It was concentrated in three spreads measuring 11.6m by 3m, 7.2m by 5.6m and 2.6m by 3m. A whetstone was recovered from the fill of the pit. A radiocarbon date of 3900–3480 BP (1950–1530 BC) was obtained from a charcoal sample from the fulacht spread, indicating that the site was middle Bronze Age in date.
The second fulacht spread, towards the south-western edge of the site (F026), was also ploughed out (dimensions of 3.9m by 2.8m), but it sealed an almost intact timber plank trough (dimensions 2m by 1.5m). A whetstone and two rim sherds of unidentifiable prehistoric pottery were recovered from the spread, and a second whetstone was recovered from the topsoil. A radiocarbon date of 3250–2880 BP (1300–930 BC) was obtained from a wood sample from the trough, indicating that this site was late Bronze Age in date. The radiocarbon dates provided evidence that while the two fulacht sites were in close proximity they were not contemporary.
Further stripping in the adjacent area failed to identify any other archaeological features.
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