County: Antrim Site name: LEMNALARY MOUNTAIN: Lough-na-Trosk Cave
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: P.C. Woodman, UCC
Site type: Industrial site
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 727224m, N 919886m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 55.010263, -6.010933
Excavation revealed that this small cave was probably of human origin and may have been an iron mine. A small scatter of flint flakes was found in the top 0.2m of rubble within the cave, and a layer of rotted redeposited basalt and laterite was located 0.6-0.8m below the surface. Otherwise the site was sterile.
The explanation for the flint could be that it was material which fell into the cave, but the possibility that there was an in situ industry would imply that the mine was quite early.
