2006:1394 - Tankardsrock, Louth

Traces of a plough-truncated fulacht fiadh were revealed during monitoring of topsoil-stripping (see AD19 below, 06E0142) along the route of a gas pipeline from the existing BGE facilities in Gormanstown, Co. Meath, to an interconnecting point with the north–west pipeline to the north of Belfast at Ballyalbanagh, Co. Antrim. The site was situated in an area of low-lying improved pasture, c. 30m south of a small east–west-flowing burn, and consisted of a irregular spread of dark-grey heavily charcoal-flecked silty clay and heat-shattered stone. The burnt spread projected from the western side of the 25m-wide route corridor and measured c. 6.5m north–south by c. 6m and up to 0.1m deep. A shallow oval pit, c. 2m north–south by c. 1 by 0.16m deep, was revealed in the centre of the site, possibly the remains of a trough. A stone pounder was recovered from the burnt spread.