2005:1021 - BALLYCLOGHAN, Longford

Test-trenching was carried out as part of the planning schedule for a housing development adjacent to a ringfort. A series of trenches were excavated by mechanical digger at the house sites, entrance and percolation area. An area of burning consistent with a fulacht fiadh was uncovered. The site was excavated in August 2005. A mechanical excavator stripped the topsoil and this was cleaned by hand to assess the whole area for archaeological remains.
The deposit lay directly below the sod and was exposed for 20.4m north–south by 8.6m. The full extent of the feature was not exposed and it extended into the baulk at the east. This site consisted of a large area of burnt material; within this were a few patches of more intense burning that contained heat-affected stone. A section was excavated through the spread and exposed sandy clay that was grey in colour with a moderate inclusion of burnt stone. The maximum depth of the feature was 0.25m and it sat directly on top of the subsoil and beneath peaty topsoil. The subsoil consisted of compact grey clay mixed with decayed sandstone.
Although the site was identified as a possible fulacht fiadh, this is unlikely due to the nature of its deposition, low concentration of burnt stone and lack of a regular pattern. It is possible that the spread is connected to agricultural activity, possibly land clearance in the form of the burning of rushes.