County: Antrim Site name: Dunluce Castle, Dunluce
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/08/30
Author: Colin Breen and John Raven, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland.
Site type: Multi-period castle with rock-cut souterrain
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 690392m, N 941351m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 55.211106, -6.579716
Limited excavation was conducted at Dunluce Castle as part of a project examining the archaeology of the McQuillan lordship of the Route and the wider medieval landscape of this region. The project is also interested in medieval connections between north-east Ireland and south-west Scotland during this period.
Excavation was carried out from 12 to 14 February 2008. A north–south trench measuring 2m by 3.5m was opened up 0.7m (at the north end of trench) west of the external south-west bay window of the manor house. Unfortunately this area had been completely disturbed down to bedrock during clearance of the castle in 1928. The finds included 17th-century ceramics and plasterwork but were from disturbed contexts associated with the soil removed from the interior of the manor house and used to level this area. Bedrock was reached at a maximum depth of 0.25m at the northern end of the trench and 0.2m at its southern end.
