2012:491 - Mountlucas Bog RD23-2, Ballynakill, Offaly

Investigation of a spread of burnt stone, discovered during the construction of a haul road at Mount Lucas Bog, Co. Offaly, revealed a fulacht fiadh, consisting of two shallow charcoal-rich spreads of decayed limestone and a trough, together with an adjacent clay-lined well and a small pit. All of the features were cut into the yellow natural clay subsoil below the bog. Two small pieces of animal bone were recovered from the site, including one from the trough. The rectangular trough measured 1.2m x 0.97m and was 0.3m deep, with six stake-holes cut into the flat base. Four of these, situated in the corners, contained fragments of wood, while the remaining two were filled with burnt material. The sub-circular well, which measured 1.7m by 1.4m, was 0.8m deep and lined with clay. The small rectangular pit measured 1.1m x 0.5m and was 0.19m in depth. The only missing element was the hearth which may have been located to the south, in a densely wooded area that could not be excavated. Although some small fragments of fire-cracked stone were found, the main type used was of limestone. These may not have been as thermodynamically efficient as a harder type of stone but had the advantage of being readily available in the locality. The stake-holes in the base of the trough suggest that there was some sort of simple structure erected over it at some stage. Two stake-holes were situated just inside of two of the corner ones and were filled with burnt material, suggesting that the stakes were removed during the period of use of the trough, perhaps to be replaced by the corner stakes. The well was probably excavated sometime after the initial use of the site. A dump of redeposited natural clay, which appeared to be upcast from the well, lay upon a thin band of burnt material, suggesting that the well was from a later phase of activity. The local water table would have varied from time to time and it is likely that the well was added in order to provide a more reliable source of water than simply depending on the groundwater to fill the trough. Fulachta fiadh were probably used for a variety of purposes but the animal bone found in the trough may indicate that, in this instance, meat was being cooked here. Field analysis of the bone suggested that it may have been from a pig and, if this were confirmed, it would support a hypothesis that the site may have been used by a hunting party, especially since this part of the bog appears to have been a dryland island at the time. Samples of wood and charcoal taken from the site should provide secure C14 dates, while peat samples should provide evidence for the local conditions and environment at the time.

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