2004:0055 - KINNEGALLIAGH, Antrim

These two fields were advance stripped ahead of the North-West Gas Pipeline to investigate features exposed during trial-trenching and to determine the limits of archaeology. Spreads of burnt-mound material uncovered in Field 12F02 were exposed and a further, more extensive, burnt mound was uncovered to the south-east. This spread proved to be very thin, 0.05m maximium, and no associated features were revealed by its removal. This is almost certainly dispersed material dragged from the main burnt mound some 12m to the south-east, which survived as a low, irregular mound measuring 8.5m north-west/south-east by 7.9m and 0.08m maximum thickness. The only associated feature was a possible trough, measuring 2m long by 0.7m wide and 0.5m deep, located at the south-west edge of the mound.

Two large pits were also uncovered to the northwest of the burnt-mound spreads. One measured 1.35m long by 0.8m wide by 0.12m deep and was filled with a mid-brown, silty clay with orange clay subsoil inclusions, frequent charcoal flecks and occasional small stones. The second pit measured 1.1m in diameter and was 0.18m deep and had two fills. The lower fill lay around the edge of the pit from north-west through south to north-east and was a charcoal-flecked, orange/brown, sticky, silty clay packed with stones. The upper fill, which slightly overlay the lower one, was a heavily charcoal-stained, silty clay packed with stones.

Only one truncated, circular feature, 0.5m in diameter by 0.12m deep and filled by a grey/brown silty clay, was uncovered in Field 12F03. Seven other possible features proved on excavation to be merely soil-filled stone sockets or natural depressions and of no archaeological significance.

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