2003:2124 - LUSK, Dublin

The excavation of a fulacht fiadh was carried out from 11 March to 12 April 2003. The site was identified by Susan McCabe in July 2002 during monitoring in advance of the construction of a residential development (Excavations 2002, No. 621, 02E0794). The site was situated in the north-west corner of a low-lying field near a natural spring, to the north of the boundary of the archaeological constraint zone for the medieval town of Lusk. At the time of discovery, the monument appeared as a spread of charcoal-rich soil with much burnt stone, measuring 3.4m by 5m, with a possible trough in its south-west corner.

On excavation, the zone of archaeological deposits encompassed an area measuring 10m north–south by 15m. Eighty-nine features were identified, of which one was a large cut (C46) which contained two distinct layers of burnt-stone material separated by layers of silt, suggesting repeated, possibly seasonal, use. The layers containing burnt stone material sealed a layer containing organic remains with a high degree of preservation, including leaves, nuts and other macro-fossils, samples of which are being analysed. This layer was preserved, due to its location, in what appeared to be a possible well set into the base of C46 and below the water table. The subrectangular cut of the possible well (C89) was centred in the deepest part of C46, measuring 1.56m by c. 1m and exceeding 2m in depth, creating a funnel-shaped cut in cross-section. An earth-cut trough (C16) was identified in the southwest corner of the site with associated stake-holes situated around its edges.

A large linear feature, identified as a field boundary, cut through the site and the eastern part of C46 in a north-west/south-east orientation. Several stone-filled field drains truncated the site. Finds directly related to the fulacht fiadh consisted of a small amount of worked flint and debitage. A fragment of a medieval floor tile, clay-pipe fragments, three fragments of medieval pottery and remains of modern activity related to the field boundary were retrieved from disturbed contexts. Samples were extracted from the features for environmental, dendrochronological and charcoal dating analysis, which is ongoing.