County: Wicklow Site name: DOWNSHILL, Calary Lower
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 01E0574
Author: John Ó Néill, Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd.
Site type: Burnt mound
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 726394m, N 709586m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.121829, -6.111616
Monitoring of topsoil removal on a Bord Gáis Éireann pipeline from Hollybrook to Wicklow town by Ian Doyle (No. 1357, Excavations 2001, 00E0509) uncovered deposits of burnt stone and charcoal on the east-facing slopes of Downshill, in Woodlands townland, below the level of the late prehistoric hillfort.
Excavation exposed a 3.3m by 2.2m spread of burnt stone and charcoal (F1) in a circular depression overlying boulder clay. This spread was up to 0.48m in depth, and around 40% of it was composed of pieces of the local shale/slate, including some blocks up to 0.4m in length. All, apart from possibly the largest blocks, were clearly fire-cracked. The base of the depression was flat and measured 0.86m by 1.35m.
A single post-hole was identified beneath the mound and within the depression. It measured 0.15m in diameter by 0.25m in depth and contained F1 as a fill.
While this site also appears to be analogous to other sites without associated pits, and described as burnt mounds, it is possible that a portable receptacle would have been used for boiling water or other liquids at this site. This would make the activity taking place appear to be similar to that described at fulachta fiadh.
2 Killiney View, Albert Road Lower, Glenageary, Co. Dublin
