County: Down Site name: CLONTAKELLY
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/01/1
Author: Chris Long, ADS
Site type: Fulacht fia
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 737721m, N 865997m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.523632, -5.872480
During topsoil-stripping as part of the Mourne Conduit Replacement Scheme (Aquarius Project) the remains of a fulacht fiadh were recorded on the south-facing slope of a small drumlin.
The burnt mound material measured 8.5m north–south by 9.5m. It consisted of an overlapping series of thin silty clays distinguishable by their charcoal and heat-fractured stone content. The burnt mound was originally located upslope (north) of the troughs but over time has spread south as a result of the effects of hill-wash and west through ploughing action.
Trough 1 was roughly subrectangular in plan and measured 1.3m east–west by 1m. It was cut almost vertically into subsoil to a depth of 0.35m and contained a single fill, a friable grey/brown clay loam with occasional charcoal flecking and a maximum depth of 0.35m.
Trough 2 was approximately 0.2m south of Trough 1. Roughly subrectangular in plan, it measured 1.6m east–west by 1m. It was cut almost vertically into subsoil to a depth of 0.4m. It contained a single fill, a friable mid-grey/orange silty clay with occasional charcoal flecking.
Unit 48, Westlink Enterprise Centre, 30–50 Distillery Street, Belfast BT12 5BJ
