County: Derry Site name: COOLKEERAGH
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/02/56
Author: Eoin Halpin, Archaeological Development Services Ltd, Westlink Enterprise Centre, 30-50 Distillery Street, Belfast BT12 5BJ.
Site type: Fulachta fiadh; ironworking
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 583097m, N 649471m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.596250, -8.249480
An excavation was carried out in advance of the construction of two freight-handling sheds on the north side of Haw Road, Coolkeeragh. Monitoring of the site revealed two areas of archaeology. Both of these areas were subsequently excavated.
The earliest activity was a phase of negative features and deposits, some with finds of Neolithic pottery sherds. This phase was largely sealed by the ploughed-out remains of two fulachta fiadh or burnt mounds. No associated troughs were found, although some of the pre-mound features appeared to be of at least near contemporary date. Worked flint and pottery sherds of Bronze Age date were recovered from the burnt-mound deposits. To the south of the mounds was a group of undated pits containing ironworking waste of slag and bloom.
