County: Antrim Site name: CARNMONEY
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: Michael Avery, Department of Archaeology, Q.U.B.
Site type: Ringfort - rath
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 733223m, N 884493m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.690914, -5.933530
A second season of excavation at this rath took place for approximately 7 weeks from June 29, 1970. Areas opened were a bank section approximately 30m by 3m, and approximately 120 sq. metres within the interior.
Three main periods of occupation were present: (1) pre-rath: gullies of uncertain date, of which partial plans were recovered; no finds associated. (2a) rath period A: inner bank and ditch built, and a deep gully in the centre of the rath, enclosing a circular area about 7 metres in diameter.
A structure built within this area was later burnt. (2b) rath period B: inner bank heightened and ditch redug; outer bank and ditch possibly added now. Much of the interior was covered with a dumped layer of clay, and a new structure built in the centre; this structure was also burnt. Charcoal was recovered from both burnt structures of period 2, and a quantity of pottery and animal bones, together with glass beads, bronze, shale and iron objects, were recovered stratified from each of the levels. This promises well for dating. (3) Post-rath: The interior was covered to a depth of 30cm by dumped clay, and the foundation-gully of a rectangular structure cut in to the surface of this. The date is obscure, since scraps of both 13th- and 17th-century pottery were recovered from this level. A peat monolith was taken for examination from the recut inner ditch of period 2b, and samples for radiocarbon dating.
