County: Mayo Site name: BALLINA–FOXFORD ROAD, Stage 1 (Rathaconeen/Ballynaraha/Carrowntreila/Ballynahaglish/ Drumreevagh/Tonybaun)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 03E0271
Author: Richard Gillespie
Site type: Fulacht fia and Kiln - corn-drying
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 523940m, N 817911m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.104653, -9.163032
Full topsoil removal in advance of the construction of the N26, Ballina-Bohola road, Stage I, at Carrowntreila, was monitored for Mayo County Council. This section of the road consisted of a 4.5km-long corridor located immediately south of Ballina town. Two main archaeological sites, a fulacht fiadh (No. 1310, Excavations 2003, 03E0802) and a corn-drying kiln, were newly identified and excavated during the course of the scheme.
The kiln was situated on the south-east-facing slope of a large drumlin less than 100m to the south-east of the enclosure SMR 39:79 (No. 1324, Excavations 2003, 03E0896). It consisted of a stone-lined keyhole-shaped cut which had five distinct fills. Collapsed elements of the stone lining were interspersed through these fills. The kiln was orientated north-west/south-east. The north-western extent of the structure, the bowl, was virtually complete, while the south-eastern limit was disturbed. The bowl was subcircular in plan, measuring 0.7-0.8m in internal diameter at its base, widening to 1m internal diameter at the top, with a maximum depth of 0.58m. The flue extended from the bowl in an east-south-east direction. The flue lining survived to a length of 1.4m, culminating at the fire-spot. Samples from the kiln have been submitted for radiocarbon and palaeoenvironmental analysis. For additional areas tested as part of this scheme, see licence numbers 03E0650 and 03E0895 (Nos 1304 and 1323, Excavations 2003).
Westport Road, Castlebar, Co. Mayo
