The discovery came about during routine archaeological testing in 2018 for the N56 Letterilly to Glenties Road Scheme, with full excavation following in 2019. What makes this particular site exceptional is its preservation; sealed beneath a metre-thick layer of peat for nearly three thousand years, the fulacht fia remained largely intact, offering researchers a rare glimpse into Late Bronze Age culinary practices.

The site consists of a mound measuring roughly 6 metres by 5 metres, composed of heat-shattered stones and charcoal fragments, typical of these ancient cooking places. What sets this fulacht fia apart is the sophisticated timber-lined trough found beneath the eastern edge of the mound. This rectangular water basin, measuring 1.8 metres long and just over a metre wide, showcases impressive Bronze Age woodworking skills. The builders laid down a foundation of brushwood, then carefully lined the trough with split timbers and roundwoods, primarily alder and hazel. Tool marks on the wood reveal the use of metal adzes and axes, whilst moss packed between the timbers served as waterproofing. Environmental evidence from bramble seeds, alder and yew buds found within the moss suggests the trough was constructed in late summer or early autumn.

Radiocarbon dating places the site’s use between the mid-11th and late 10th centuries BC, right at the beginning of the Late Bronze Age. Analysis of charcoal fragments tells us that oak was the preferred fuel, supplemented with holly, fruitwood and willow. These fulacht fiadh sites, found across Ireland in their thousands, were essentially outdoor kitchens where heated stones were dropped into water-filled troughs to boil or steam food. The Letterilly example provides particularly valuable insights into the construction techniques and seasonal use patterns of these enigmatic monuments, preserved in extraordinary detail thanks to the protective blanket of peat that covered it for millennia.