In fact, it was the remnant of a fulacht fia, a type of ancient cooking or heating site found widely across Ireland, typically consisting of a water-filled trough, a nearby hearth, and a mound of fire-cracked stones that accumulated as hot rocks were plunged into the water to raise its temperature. Thousands of these sites are known across the country, most dating to the Bronze Age, yet they still surface as surprises, turning up in fields and, as here, beneath the footprint of planned housing estates.

The site at Ardamadane came to light during archaeological testing carried out ahead of a large housing development, and was fully excavated in 2006. That work, communicated by archaeologist Deborah Sutton, revealed a re-cut trough, meaning the hollow had been dug out or modified at least once after its original construction, along with associated hearths. The re-cutting suggests repeated use over time rather than a single episode of activity. Perhaps the most quietly interesting detail is that a second fulacht fia lies approximately ten metres to the south-east, the two sites sitting close enough together to suggest this corner of County Cork saw sustained, purposeful activity at some point in prehistory, whatever that activity ultimately was.