2010:006 - Ballycarry South West, Antrim

Two trenches (each measuring 11m in length by 2m in width) were manually excavated across a bank that constitutes the western boundary of a scheduled enclosure site. The area was scheduled as aerial photographs taken of the site in the 1960s appear to show the site of a large enclosure (some 200m in diameter). It was thought that this enclosure may be related to the medieval church of Templecorran which is located towards the northern end of the monument, and previous excavation also showed the presence of Neolithic activity in the area (Crothers 2000). Recent investigation has also uncovered a probable 17th-century fort within the scheduled area (see No. 4 above), highlighting the potential for archaeological remains within this monument. Prehistoric flint, porcellanite and medieval pottery were recovered from topsoil deposits, although the excavation of the trenches showed no features or deposits that predated the 18th century. It is thought that the bank that constitutes the western side of the scheduled enclosure is in fact a post-medieval product of road alignment in the area and unassociated with the prehistoric or medieval evidence gathered in the vicinity.