1976:046 - BALLINRAN, Down

Excavation of this “Giant’s Grave” close to Killowen on the shore of Carlingford Lough was carried out in April and May 1976 in advance of a road widening project. The site lies some 60m from the lough shore on a very tough boulder clay which here overlies the Silurian shale bedrock. The location cross on the map (0.5. 6” Co. Down Sheet 54) was very accurately sited and excavation uncovered sufficient sockets for orthostats cut into the boulder clay to demonstrate the former existence of a court tomb with a very long gallery aligned N-S opening, onto a forecourt at its N end. No traces survived of the cairn or any kerb or revetment to the sides or the distal end of the cairn. One of the two portal-stone sockets still contained the fractured stump of the stone which had stood in it. The gallery, over 12m long, had been segmented in the normal way with sills and jambs and was at least 5 and possibly 6 segments long. The surviving sockets for facade stones indicated a forecourt approximately circular on plan, though it is possible that the Kilkeel-Warrenpoint road was built over a further outward extension of the horns, giving, on plan, a considerably deeper forecourt.

No trace of burial deposits was found in situ, though several of the sockets for orthostats contained a fair amount of cremated, presumably human, bone which must have trickled into the sockets when their orthostats were removed. Three primary flint flakes were found; one of these, beside the stump of the portal stone, was slightly burnt and may be an artifact associated with the cairn. The other two from the modern plough soil could equally well have been associated with the raised beach which lies a few metres to the S of the site.