2006:1475 - Sonnagh, Mayo

This site was excavated between 30 June and 24 July 2006. It was newly identified during centreline testing (A020/003) and was fully excavated in advance of the construction of the N5 Charlestown bypass. The fulacht fiadh was enveloped in peat adjacent to fulacht fiadh A020/030 (see No. 1474 above). It was located at 71m OD and consisted of a crescent-shaped burnt mound, which covered a substantial wood-lined trough. Two adjacent small woodpiles were also excavated.
The mound measured 11m by 8m and had a maximum thickness of 1.1m. It consisted of burnt stone in a matrix of charcoal-rich peat. The charcoal was concentrated at the base of the mound.
The trough was cut through the peat in the central hollow of the crescent and rested on natural grey marl. The original cut was not discernible, as the peat had closed in around the lining. The trough was rectangular in plan, measuring 2.5m north–south by 1.6m with an internal depth of 0.5m. It was moss- and wood-lined. The base was layered with substantial split planks resting directly on the marl. This was overlain by a 0.06m-thick layer of compacted moss which in turn was overlain by the working base of the trough. It consisted of six substantial split planks reaching a maximum size of 2.51m by 0.22m by 0.05m thick. Three substantial corner posts held the sides in place. A possible fourth post would have supported the south-west corner but did not survive. The sides were constructed of substantial timbers. A moss packing was inserted between the side timbers. This was the largest trough of the Sonnagh fulachta fiadh complex.
This trough was filled with a mixture of charcoal-rich peat and burnt stone at its northern end and a wet fibrous peat with inclusions of burnt stone to the south. This fill was partly overlain by four loose burnt timbers.
This was a fulacht fiadh, which was probably used for cooking in the Bronze Age, although the large size of the trough may be due to an alternative function.