County: Meath Site name: SARSFIELDSTOWN 1
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 01E0041
Author: Ian Russell, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd.
Site type: Fulacht fia
Period/Dating: Bronze Age (2200 BC-801 BC)
ITM: E 714757m, N 768013m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.649292, -6.264166
This site was discovered during earlier monitoring of topsoil-stripping conducted by Valerie J. Keeley Ltd. On excavation a total of seven pits, one possible clay-lined trough and a narrow curved trench feature were exposed beneath a thin burnt mound deposit. The possible trough was subrectangular and measured 2.26m in length and 1.28m in width, extending to a depth of 0.19m; it may have been clay-lined and was associated with a number of outlying pits. The narrow trench feature was connected to two pits at each terminal and may have served as some form of overflow or drain, although its true function is unknown. A very similar linear feature was also exposed at another fulacht fiadh at Claristown 1 (No. 946, Excavations 2001, 01E0038) which was dated to the early Bronze Age. No pits, post- or stake-holes were exposed either at the base or at the edge of the linear feature to suggest that it might have been structural or might have formed a windbreak.
The burnt mound was not very extensive or deep and was only a few centimetres thick. It continued beyond the limit of excavation to the east, outside the motorway corridor into the adjacent field. Two middle Bronze Age dates were recovered from the site: the fill of the possible trough was dated to 2980 ± 40 BP (1360/1320–1060 cal. BC), while the fill of the linear feature was dated to 3060 ± 70 BP (1450–1110 cal. BC).
Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth
