Fulacht fia, Caher (Lane), Co. Limerick
Co. Limerick |
Settlement Sites
Scattered through the Irish countryside are low, dark mounds that most walkers pass without a second glance.
This one, in marshy pasture on a west-facing slope in Caher Lane, County Limerick, is a fulacht fia, a type of ancient cooking or processing site found in enormous numbers across Ireland, particularly from the Bronze Age. The term refers broadly to the crescent-shaped spreads of fire-cracked stone and charcoal-stained earth that result from a repeated process of heating stones in a fire and dropping them into a water-filled trough to bring it to the boil. Over years or centuries of use, the discarded burnt stone accumulated into the distinctive mounds that survive today.
The site was recorded by Denis Power and uploaded to the national record in August 2011. What survives is a spread of burnt material measuring approximately twelve metres north to south and thirteen metres east to west, lying on the southern side of a field boundary on the hillside. That spread has been truncated on its western edge by a farm track, meaning part of the original deposit has been lost or disturbed at some point during agricultural activity. The marshy character of the surrounding pasture is entirely consistent with the pattern seen at fulachtaí fia more broadly; such sites are regularly found in low-lying or poorly drained ground, which would have provided ready access to water, an essential requirement for whatever activity the site was used for.
The site sits in working farmland, so access would depend on the landowner's permission and the state of the ground underfoot. Given the marshy nature of the pasture, the approach is likely to be wet in all but the driest months, and appropriate footwear matters. The mound itself is best appreciated by looking for the discolouration and slight rise in the ground surface rather than expecting a dramatic feature. The farm track on the western side provides an inadvertent reference point, marking roughly where the original spread once continued before being cut through.