County: Limerick Site name: CASTLEMUNGRET (BGE 4/3/1)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E1735
Author: Ken Wiggins, for Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd.
Site type: Fulacht fia
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 553055m, N 654778m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.642180, -8.693640
The site was exposed during the monitoring of topsoil-stripping along the Bord Gáis Éireann Barnakyle to Coonagh West gas pipeline (No. 1128, Excavations 2002, 02E1649). It lay in a low, gently sloping field near the edge of bogland, c. 500m west of the medieval churches at Mungret (SMR 13:9). It was excavated between 22 November and 5 December 2002. The site was initially identified as a circular spread of charcoal-rich clay, c. 4.5m in diameter, containing dense burnt stone fragments. The limits of the site were concealed by natural grey sediment up to 0.25m thick. Most of this was mechanically excavated to reveal the edges of the spread before full excavation.
There was a stone culvert aligned south-west/ north-east at the north-western corner of the site. A pit-like feature was situated close to the western edge of the spread. It was 1.17m long, 1.1m wide and 0.45m deep. The fill comprised two deposits: a lower deposit of grey/brown silty clay, large sandstone blocks, numerous burnt stone fragments and spots of charcoal, and an upper deposit of dark grey, silty clay, charcoal, ash and burnt stone fragments. A second cut was a linear feature close to the northern limit of the burnt spread. It had an excavated length (north-west/south-east) of 1.75m and was 0.75m wide and 0.22m deep. The fill was grey/pale grey, silty clay. The fully exposed burnt stone spread measured 8.5m (north–south) by 5.5m and was up to 0.25m thick. A short curving channel in the boulder-clay surface was found directly underneath the spread. This feature was 2.7m long (south-west/ north-east), up to 1m wide, and up to 0.5m deep on the western side.
2 Killiney View, Albert Road Lower, Glenageary, Co. Dublin
