2006:82 - KILMAKEE (2), Antrim

This site was excavated as part of the recently completed BGE (Northern Ireland) gas pipeline. This previously unrecorded site was discovered on a low rounded hillock overlooking the south bank of the Six Mile Water, 2km (1.25 miles) west of Templepatrick. There had been no indication of a souterrain at this location after the topsoil had been removed, but several capstones were dislodged during work on the river crossing and the contractor notified the field archaeologist.

The souterrain had been constructed of drystone walling with large boulder capstones in a roughly semicircular trench and consisted of an entrance pit giving access to a short stone-lined passage, which led to a short chamber then onto a larger end chamber with a combined length of 16m. Entry was gained by a short, sloped ramp leading to the entrance passage, which measured 1.5m long by 0.5m wide and had a maximum height of 0.8m. At the inner end of the entrance passage there was a low creep, 0.4m wide by 0.5m high, with a threshold stone forming a short drop into the first chamber, which measured 2.6m long by 1m wide with a maximum head height of 1.15m.

The entrance to the souterrain had been deliberately blocked in the Early Christian period and the infill, containing souterrain ware and some animal bone, had spilled into the outer end of the first chamber. Access to the end chamber, which measured 6m long by 2m wide with a maximum height of 1.7m, was through a second low creep, 0.5m wide by 0.6m high. A small cubby hole, 0.3m wide by 0.5m high, had been built into the east wall of Chamber 2 and an air vent had been constructed just below roof height in the north-east corner. The air vent extended beyond the limit of excavation but had excavated dimensions of 3m long by 0.5m wide.

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