2006:134 - DINNAHORRA, Armagh

An archaeological evaluation was carried out on the site of a proposed development in Dinnahorra townland. The site is located c. 20m west of an enclosure (ARM017–011) situated on a rise above a tributary of the Cusher River. The enclosure is an irregular oval-shaped earthwork, measuring c. 50m (north–south) by 38m, and is marked on the second-edition 6-inch OS map of 1863. The western edge of the enclosed area is marked by a steep (possibly natural) scarp and the remains of a ditch are visible around the north and east sides of the enclosure.

Four test-trenches were excavated across the site to determine if there were any below-ground archaeological remains. The truncated remains of a bank and ditch were uncovered in three of the trenches and within 25m of the edge of the enclosure. The features appeared to respect the curve of the enclosure and the ditch may be a continuation of the ditch visible on the northern and eastern sides of the monument. A small section was excavated through part of the ditch to try to ascertain the extent and nature of the feature. The fill of the ditch was a charcoal-rich mottled orange and grey clay with frequent stone inclusions. Two sherds of fire-blackened pottery were retrieved from the fill. One was a body sherd of souterrain ware and the other was a base sherd, possibly of everted-rim ware (C. McSparron, pers. comm.). Time constraints did not allow the section to be completely excavated. A depth of 0.26m and a width of 1.38m were reached. The cut of the ditch along the eastern edge was gradual and uneven due to the stony subsoil. The base was not totally uncovered, but the cut appeared to be shallowing into a concave base at a depth of around 0.26m. The western edge of the ditch could not be easily discerned, but it appeared to have a width of c. 1.5m, while the bank had a width of c. 1.2m. The ditch and bank are likely to have been severely truncated by agricultural works in this field, including ploughing which took place in 2003. The bank material was a compact stony yellow clay intermixed with a light-brown sandy silt and is likely to be upcast from the ditch.

Prior to this evaluation, the enclosure was unclassified and undated; the discovery of a ditch and bank gives some insight into the function and date of the enclosure. It now seems likely that the enclosure was a rath with surrounding ditch and an earthen bank. The ditch and bank are likely to be related to the monument, since they respect the curve of the enclosure. The recovery of a sherd of souterrain ware from the ditch fill is an indication that the monument may have been a rath, since souterrain ware is primarily found in association with that monument type. Everted-rim ware succeeded souterrain ware in the 13th century, but it is thought that the two may have been used for a period side by side. The recovery of sherds of souterrain ware and everted-rim ware from the fill of the ditch suggests that the ditch went out of use some time in the 13th century. The enclosure may have been a platform rath, since other rath types were unlikely to have been in use as late as the 13th century. The scarped western side of the enclosure also gives the impression of a platform rath and the site seems too small to have been an ecclesiastical enclosure.

No finds, features or deposits of archaeological significance were uncovered in the fourth trench or the remainder of the other trenches. This means that a large proportion of the site was clear of archaeology. A development could therefore be accommodated on a part of the site clear of archaeology, thereby allowing the features to be preserved in situ.

School of Geography Archaeology and Palaeoecology, Queen’s University, Belfast, BT7 1NN