County: Down Site name: CARRICKNAVEAGH
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/01/21
Author: Chris Long, ADS
Site type: Fulacht fia
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 736422m, N 861198m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.480893, -5.894760
During topsoil-stripping as part of the Mourne Conduit Replacement Scheme (Aquarius Project) the remains of a fulacht fiadh were recorded. The site was on the south-facing slope of a small drumlin.
The burnt mound measured approximately 8m north–south by 16m and extended downslope in an approximate north–south direction. It contained two layers. The upper layer consisted of a loose, charcoal-rich silty loam with abundant heat-fractured stone, with an average depth of 0.1m. The basal layer consisted of a compact light grey clay containing abundant ash material. It had an average depth of 50mm.
Trough 1 was truncated to the north by a modern pipe trench. As it survived, the trough was roughly subtriangular in plan, with a maximum width of 2.5m. It was cut into subsoil to a depth of 0.7m and contained two fills. The upper fill consisted of a loose, black, charcoal-rich silty loam with moderate quantities of heat-fractured stone and a maximum depth of 0.45m. The basal fill formed the lining of the trough and consisted of a compact white plastic clay with occasional charcoal flecking and a maximum depth of 0.25m.
Trough 2 was roughly oval in plan, measuring 2.5m north-east/south-west by 1.1m, and was cut into subsoil to a depth of 0.3m. It contained two fills. The upper consisted of a loose, black, charcoal-rich clay silt with moderate quantities of burnt stone and a maximum depth of 0.2m. The basal fill consisted of a white/grey plastic clay with a maximum depth of 0.1m and formed the lining of the trough.
Two quarry pits were located immediately south of Trough 1. The first of these was irregularly shaped in plan, measuring 4m north–south by 2.5m, and was cut through bedrock to a depth of 0.6m. It contained two fills. The upper fill consisted of burnt mound material and had a maximum depth of 0.45m, while the basal fill consisted of a loose mid-grey silt with frequent ash inclusions and had a maximum depth of 0.15m.
The second quarry pit was immediately to the north–east of the first. Again irregularly shaped in plan, it measured 2m north–south by 1m and was cut through bedrock to a depth of 0.3m. It was filled by two layers of burnt mound material. The upper layer consisted of the black charcoal-rich material and had a maximum depth of 0.1m, while the basal layer was the light grey ash material and had a maximum depth of 0.2m.
A hearth was located approximately 10m south-west of Trough 1. It was subrectangular in plan, measured 1.5m east–west by 1.1m and was cut into subsoil to a depth of 0.25m. It contained a single fill, a black charcoal-rich clay. The base of the hearth contained four stake-holes which were on average 0.1m in diameter and 0.15m deep.
A second hearth was located approximately 6m west of Trough 1. It was subcircular in plan with a diameter of approximately 1.15m and was cut into subsoil to a depth of 0.2m. It contained a single fill, a charcoal-rich silty clay. A slot measuring 0.7m by 0.1m was cut to a depth of 0.1m into the base of the hearth along its south-west side. A series of relatively large stones was placed along the length of the slot.
A series of small slot-trenches were located approximately 8.8m south of Trough 1. Taken as one, they formed a rough circle in plan with a diameter of approximately 2m. The trenches varied in length from 2.5m to 1m and had an average width of 0.5m and a depth of 0.2m.
Unit 48, Westlink Enterprise Centre, 30–50 Distillery Street, Belfast BT12 5BJ
