County: Meath Site name: ARODSTOWN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E0687
Author: Emmet Byrnes, Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd.
Site type: Fulacht fia
Period/Dating: Medieval (AD 400-AD 1600)
ITM: E 687305m, N 751075m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.502424, -6.684006
Excavation was carried out, from 21 to 30 May 2002, on a site at Arodstown, Co. Meath, as part of the Bord Gáis Éireann Pipeline to the West project (Section 1A: Ballough to Kinnegad). The site, revealed during monitoring of topsoil-stripping, was recorded as a large spread of burnt stone and charcoal suspended in a very loose, peaty cultivation soil, c. 0.3m deep and extending over an area measuring 46m (east–west) by 10.5m.
The excavation uncovered the truncated remains of two fulachta fiadh, each with a single pit-like trough. Both fulachta fiadh were substantially disturbed by a later field drain and plough furrows. The larger burnt spread measured 12.5m (east–west) by 7m and was 0.08–0.1m thick. The trough was a subcircular pit with a compact clay lining at the base. It measured 1.15m (north–south) by 1.1m and was 0.55m in maximum depth.
The smaller burnt spread was 7m due east of the larger. It measured 7m (east–west) by 3m and was 0.1–0.12m thick. The trough was a small subrectangular pit, which measured 0.9m (east– west) by 0.6m and was 0.3m in maximum depth.
No artefacts were recovered from the features. However, three roughly shaped, struck-quartz plough pebbles and a sherd of glazed medieval pottery were recovered from the general environs of the site before excavation and suggest that the later agricultural activity was of medieval date.
2 Killiney View, Albert Road Lower, Glenageary, Co. Dublin
