County: Clare Site name: Ballykinnacorra North
Sites and Monuments Record No.: CL017–205 Licence number: 08E0621
Author: Dominic Delany, Dominic Delany & Associates, Unit 3, Howley Court, Oranmore, Co. Galway.
Site type: Fulacht fiadh
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 527687m, N 688500m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.942432, -9.075866
Testing was carried out at Ballykinnacorra North, Corofin, Co. Clare, on 7 August 2008 in advance of development works for the Corofin Sewerage Scheme. CL017–205 (fulachta fiadh) is marked in the immediate vicinity of the proposed works. A tracked excavator fitted with a wide grading bucket was deployed to open two parallel trenches measuring 44m in length and 2m wide. A shallow spread of burnt material, partly sealed by a grey/brown clayey silt deposit, was uncovered in the southern trench.
Full excavation of the area was carried out in the first three weeks of September 2008. The area was stripped down to the silt deposit and the top of archaeology. Excavation revealed the exposed burnt spread to measure 4m east–west by 1.95m. It continued southward outside the limit of excavation. It was partially sealed by grey/brown clayey silt with occasional charcoal flecks throughout. This was considered to be a river floodwater deposit. The burnt spread overlay grey/brown dauby clay with orange mottling throughout. Cut into this, adjacent to the burnt spread, was one solitary stake-hole. This was filled with charcoal-rich sandy clay. Other possible stake-holes proved to be non-archaeological. To the north of the burnt spread was a very shallow post-hole, circular in shape and measuring 0.2m in diameter and 0.1m in depth. It had two distinct fills. No other associated post-holes or features were evident in the area. To the north-west of the burnt material were two ash deposits, one measuring 2m by 1.6m with a maximum depth of 0.06m and the other 2.2m by 1.4m and 0.08m maximum depth. Both deposits lay directly on natural peat and were considered to be contemporary with the burnt spread.
A line of angular stone orientated east–west and measuring 6.9m in length and 1.4m wide was uncovered just below the topsoil close to the riverbank in the north-west part of the stripped area. The feature ran parallel to the river, was of drystone construction and did not appear to be of any great antiquity. It is considered that it is the foundation of an old boundary wall built to reinforce the riverbank.
