Early Settlement

Bronze Age Site, Croghtenclogh, Fulachta Fian

Site of a Fulachta Fian, Croghtenclogh, Castlecomer, County Kilkenny

Bronze Age Site, Croghtenclogh, Fulachta Fian

Site of a Fulachta Fian, Croghtenclogh, Castlecomer, County Kilkenny

The underlying strata in the area have eroded to form heavy gley soils underlying most areas of the plateau. These are heavy and prone to waterlogging, exasperated by increased rainfall due to the topography. This made the area unattractive to early settlers. Stone Age sites are rare in the area. We also know that up to the seventeenth century, the area was extensively forested. Records record extensive areas of oak forest with extensive hazel and willow undergrowth. Hazel was often dominant in the hill areas.

However by the Bronze Age population pressure in the rest of Kilkenny had lead to the first recorded settlement in the Dinan River Valley. Fulacht Fiadh are extensive in this area. This trend towards increased population was to continue into the Iron Age. Both hill forts and linear earthworks have been recorded in the area.

Fulacht Fiadh

A Fulacht Fiadh is generally a rectangular man-made depression in the ground. The hole is usually lined with either stones or timber. Nearby piles of stones are found that are usually cracked by heat. Water sources are usually nearby. Debate continues as to their use. The general theory is that stones were heated and then put into water that had been put in the trough. The heated water then could be used either for cooking, bathing or for washing or dying clothes. Debate continues as to which usage was most prevalent in Ireland. Tradition associates them with cooking and stories of the Fianna.

Fulacht Fiadh are found all over Ireland but are far more common in the south. County Cork has the greatest concentration. Their appearance in Castlecomer points to a rising population. The plateau's heavy clay soils and abundance of water lent themselves to this construction.

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