Fulachtaí fia ‘Bronze Age cooking sites’ at Listowel

Five burnt mounds, or fulachtaí fia, were discovered in Coolnaleen Lower and Garryantanvally townlands.

Burnt mounds are the most common prehistoric site type in Ireland and mostly date to the Bronze Age (2500–500 BC). They consist of mounds of heat-shattered stone and charcoal-enriched soil, usually located in low-lying, marshy areas close to a stream or spring. Troughs (for heating water), as well as hearths, stakehole alignments and pits, are often found next to or beneath the mounds. They are generally thought to have been cooking places but may also have served other functions.

Multiple purposes are certainly indicated at Coolnaleen Lower 1. Joints of meat could have been cooked in the three wood-lined troughs uncovered here, while the discovery of a wood-and-stone bench, built into the side of a 4m wide pit, suggests the site may also have been used for communal bathing, or perhaps as a sauna.

A small number of stone artefacts, including a shale axehead, were also found at this site.

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The Archaeology of the Listowel Bypass

Download a poster showcasing some of the archaeological finds from excavations along the N69 Bypass. Alternatively, you can read through a StoryMap of the dig.

Video Documentaries

As part of cataloguing the archaeological works on the N69 Listowel Bypass Project, a set of mini-documentaries were created. Each of these lasts just over 10 minutes.
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Fulachtaí Fia at Listowel

Five burnt mounds, also referred to as fulachtaí fia, were discovered along the route of the bypass. Burnt mounds are the most common prehistoric site type in Ireland.
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Making Medieval Charcoal

At Coolnaleen Lower we found several charcoal-production kilns. Charcoal was an important fuel for metalworking in the past.
Dr. Karen Molloy and her team from NUIGAMS

Palaeo-environmental Coring

As part of the archaeological investigations for the N69, palaeoenvironmental specialists Carlos Chique and Karen Molloy from NUIG took a pollen core from Derra West Bog.
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From the Bog

In the townland of Gortcurreen, a group of worked timbers and the remains of a stave-built wooden vessel were discovered within the peat.

An Old House at Curraghatoosane

At Curraghatoosane we found the remains of a traditional thatched house that was occupied from the early nineteenth century until the 1950s.