County: Wicklow Site name: KILMARTIN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 01E0435
Author: Ian W. Doyle for Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd.
Site type: Fulacht fia
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 729190m, N 700937m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.043471, -6.073337
A small portion of a fulacht fiadh was excavated in the townland of Kilmartin, Co. Wicklow, in May 2001. The site was detected during the monitoring of topsoil-stripping for the Hollybrook–Wicklow Bord Gáis Éireann pipeline.
The Kilmartin site is in a low sheltered valley where a small unnamed stream runs north-west/south-east. In the late 20th century the stream was placed into an underground pipe at this point. The ground climbs steeply on the south-western side, while to the north-west it rises sharply, crossing the townland boundary into Barnacoyle Big. The site, prior to topsoil-stripping, presented itself as a low-lying uncultivated area of poorly drained land surrounded by fields in pasture or under crops.
The initial topsoil-stripping revealed spreads of heat-shattered stone and charcoal. An area measuring 15.5m east–west by 7m was hand-cleaned. This revealed a series of cut features with associated fills and the remnants of burnt mound material.
A charcoal and heat-shattered stone area was apparent in the eastern side of the area cleaned. This subrectangular area represented a trough with a timber-lined base. Two clusters of post-holes were detected in the north-western and south-western corners of the trough.
This timber-lined trough comprised a shallow rectangular cut with straight sides and a flat base. It measured 2.19m east–west by 0.94m, with a depth of 0.34m. There were two substantial waterlogged oak planks at the base of the cut. The northernmost oak plank measured 1.78m by 0.2m (max.) by 0.08–0.12m thick. The width of the plank tapered towards each end. No bark was present. The southernmost plank was also a split oak plank, and measured 2.08m by 0.34m (max.) by 0.08–0.12m thick. No tool-marks were visible on either of the planks.
The fill of the trough was a moderately compact black silty clay with frequent inclusions of charcoal, fire-cracked limestone, sandstone and granite fragments. This fill extended throughout the cut and sealed the oak planks. The eastern part of the trough was cut by a modern pipe drain.
Two distinct clusters of stake-holes were present at the north-western and south-western corners of the trough cut. Both clusters sat in shallow depressions, which opened into the corners of the trough. It is significant that both clusters contained eight posts. This suggests that the clusters may be contemporary and represent pairs of corner posts. An area of fire-reddened or oxidised clay was revealed immediately east of the stake-hole clusters.
A large pit was uncovered to the west of the trough with the timber base. This pit, which measured 3.3m east–west by 1.8m by 0.8m deep, contained some six fills of silty clays with occasional lenses of heat-shattered stone. Several fragments of wood were recovered from the fills of the pit. Examination of these fragments has suggested that they represent modern root activity.
Spreads of heat-shattered stone and charcoal were immediately visible when initial stripping took place. This material survived in the south-western reaches of the area cleaned and in the north. The south-western portion of the mound remnant comprised an irregular-shaped spread of heat-shattered stone and charcoal-stained soil which measured 1.5m east–west by 3.6m, with a maximum thickness of 0.06–0.1m. In this area it was found to overlie natural stratigraphy. The shape of the southern spread appears to be the result of post-depositional processes, in particular repeated land improvement.
A northern spread of burnt mound material was also noted after topsoil-stripping. This spread measured some 4.9m east–west by 4.4m, with a maximum depth of 0.1m as exposed. This spread overlay natural boulder clay stratigraphy in places. However, the bed of the stream, which had formerly flowed in this area prior to being inserted into a piped channel, remained as a series of wet gravel deposits. This latter deposit consisted of a grey waterlogged series of sands and gravels.
A small cluster of four stake-holes, which formed an approximate east–west alignment, was detected in the south of the area examined. Diameters of 0.08–0.12m and depths of 0.07–0.13m were recorded for these.
2 Killiney View, Albert Road Lower, Glenageary, Co. Dublin
