These mysterious Bronze Age features dot the Irish landscape, and this particular example came to light when it was spotted in the north face of a drainage channel. The site, catalogued as 01E0065, was subsequently fully excavated to reveal its secrets.

The mound itself stretched 16 metres in length and rose about half a metre high, consisting primarily of fire-cracked stones that enclosed a central wooden trough. Unfortunately, the construction of the drainage channel had already damaged much of the trough, but enough remained to piece together its original form; it measured about a metre wide and roughly 25 centimetres deep. The excavation revealed distinct layers within the mound: the upper section contained angular, fragmented stones mixed with charcoal-enriched black sandy clay, whilst beneath a thin layer of dark, sticky clay lay smaller angular stones with charcoal fragments and ash in yellowish-brown sandy clay.

What makes this site particularly interesting is the preserved wooden trough at its heart. The base had been carefully lined with unworked lengths of timber, a construction technique typical of these ancient cooking sites. The entire structure sat atop a layer of natural marl, suggesting the Bronze Age builders chose this spot deliberately. Whilst the exact purpose of fulacht fiadh remains debated amongst archaeologists, with theories ranging from cooking sites to saunas or even breweries, this Killybegs example adds another piece to the puzzle of how our ancestors lived and worked in Bronze Age Ireland.