2010:065 - Kernan, Armagh

The archaeological deposits investigated under this licence were uncovered during the construction of a 12.5km gas pipeline by Bord Gáis Éireann (NI), running between Kernan near Gilford in County Down‡ and the townland of Derryhale in County Armagh. The topsoil-stripping was monitored by ADS Ltd between 29 April and 19 May 2010. The 24m-wide pipeline corridor crossed a total of twelve townlands, eleven of which revealed archaeological deposits; this bulletin summarises the archaeological investigations carried out over approximately 2km of the pipeline in the townland of Kernan. Areas of investigation were allocated a prefix which included the eastern road crossing number (RDX number) and the field number (F number). Excavations took place between 22 June and 9 July 2010.
Six sites were located across sections RDX 1, 2 and 3; these will be described separately from east to west.
RDX 1 F03, situated at 308863 346560 was a fulacht fiadh, measuring approximately 5m by 10m. Below the burnt-stone and charcoal layer there were four subcircular features, one of which may have functioned as a trough.
RDX 1 F06 to the west at 308520 346479 was a 0.1m-thick fulacht spread measuring approximately 5m by 5m. There were no features underlying the burnt-stone and charcoal spread.
The next fulacht lay in RDX 2 F01 at 308094 346548. It measured 6m by 9m and extended south beyond the edge of the stripped area. The remains of a possible trough underlay the spread, a shallow irregular-shaped feature that measured 1m by 1.5m.
RDX 2 F03 at 307914 346602 comprised two separate pits. The larger of these was subrectangular in shape measuring 0.8m by 1.2m and the smaller subcircular pit measured 0.4m by 0.4m.
The largest fulacht found was situated at RDX 3 F01 307775 346590. This fulacht was truncated on its western side by the former line of the Great Northern Railway, which opened in 1859 and closed in 1955. The remains of the fulacht covered an area measuring 20m by 20m. The spread of burnt stone and charcoal associated with this fulacht overlay two large trough/pit features. Both of these trough features measured approximately 2m by 2m and between 0.3m and 0.6m deep. There were some remnants of wood in the base of one of the trough features. This was much degraded but it may have been the remains of a wood lining.
Beyond this to the west, at 307610 346670 in RDX 3 F02, lay a shallow fulacht spread with three underlying subsoil-cut features. There were three shallow features situated 5m to the west of this spread which may have been contemporary with it.