1976:045 - KEELDRUM LOWER, Donegal

Situated within a small coastal area between Horn Head and Magheraroarty, in NW Donegal, are a few isolated monuments of a megalithic character. Amongst these is an otherwise unrecorded monument at Keeldrum Lower, of which nothing was visible originally except for two uprights and part of a circular kerb. First impressions led one to believe that here were the remains of a portal dolmen associated with a circular cairn. However, excavations over a two months period revealed that these remains are those of a circular enclosure.

There are two concentric walls, both built of large stones, of diameter of 76ft and 60ft respectively. The remains consist mainly of foundation courses, though sometimes two and three courses survive. Between the inner and the outer facing stones the intervening space is filled with cairn-like material. On the S side, these walls were doubled faced, the reason being that here are the remains of a gallery, with entrance presumably from the inside. On the NE side there is a gap, 40ft wide, in the outer wall. This was to make room for a circular forecourt with puddled clay floor, originally with megalithic facade, of which only three uprights remain (two fallen, and the third represented by its base) but sockets with wedge stones in situ indicate the positions occupied by others since removed. This forecourt is associated with a box-like chamber, originally composed of five uprights (two to each side, and one at the rear) the open side facing onto the forecourt. Close beside the forecourt, and to the N of it, is the entrance to the enclosure, well-constructed through the inner wall, and flanked on the outside by two uprights, now fallen. Two little piles of mollusc shells were found, one on the outside and the other on the inside of this entrance. Off-centre, and to the N inside the enclosure is a single, deep posthole.

Hard up against the wall on the N side were found about thirty sherds, including rims and shoulders, of Western Neolithic ware; and in a fissure in the bedrock hard up against the wall on the W side a very fine plano-convex flint knife was also found. There were more piles of mollusc shells at three locations against the wall on the W and S sides. Also within the enclosure were two small deposits of cremated bone. In addition to the Western Neolithic ware there were numerous small sherds of a hard coarse ware, but no rims.

On the S side, there was a secondary floor about ten inches above the original level. Associated with this floor were spindle whorls of stone, a bone needle of Type B, a bracelet and a ring of chlorite, and a heavily corroded iron object, which may have been a hook. This floor was littered with ox, sheep/goat and some pig bones, and similar bones were found amongst the debris in the gallery.