2010:198 - Carnmeen and Lisduff, Down

The proposed development site consists of two fields which lie to the north of the Carnbane Industrial Estate, Newry, Co Armagh. There are 28 recorded archaeological sites within a 1.5km radius of the proposed development, one of which lies within the actual site boundary (DOW046–026), an enclosure identified from an aerial photograph.
The proposed development is located within the townlands of Carnmeen and Lisduff, through which runs the soon to be completed A1 Newry bypass. Monitoring of topsoil removal and subsequent excavation was carried out in relation to the construction of the DBFO A1 Newry bypass in 2007 and 2008 by ADS Ltd. This monitoring revealed a wealth of previously unrecorded sites including a large number in the townland of Carnmeen and some in Lisduff, for example a number of burnt mounds and associated troughs, a stone-built corn kiln, a rath, four ring-ditches and a prehistoric funerary site.
The site is dominated by four ridges of higher ground which run approximately north–south across the fields. The site was first evaluated by Warren Bailie via a series of test-trenches in September 2009 (Excavations 2009, No. 238, AE/09/136). During this phase of testing, 43 trenches were excavated and 60 deposits of archaeological potential were uncovered. It was noted during this phase of works that the areas of archaeological potential tended to lie along the ridges and upper slopes of higher ground and were similar in nature, date and type to the deposits uncovered during topsoil-stripping of the adjacent A1 road works. The deposits uncovered during Phase 1 testing included pits and post-holes, a spread of possible burnt-mound material, a 25m diameter subcircular ring-ditch, three smaller 5–6m diameter enclosing ditches and a group of six cremation pits, two of which lie within one of the smaller ring-ditches.
A second phase of testing was conducted in May/June 2010 under licence AE/10/34. During this Phase 2 evaluation a further 34 trenches were excavated and 23 new areas of archaeological potential were recorded. As before, much of the archaeological activity was found to be located on the higher ridges of ground. Furthermore, the majority of these Phase 2 deposits were found to lie in close proximity to the Phase 1 deposits.
The majority of the deposits recorded during the second phase of testing were identified mainly as pits or post-holes; however, four burnt spreads indicative of burnt mounds or fulachta fiadh were uncovered on the lower lying ground. Furthermore, a possible circular enclosure was identified that may relate to the previously unlocated aerial photograph site (DOW046–026).
The evidence collated from both phases of testing indicate an extensive, though dispersed archaeological landscape, probably dating to the Bronze Age period 1500–500 bc.