County: Down Site name: Drumaran
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/10/104
Author: Warren Bailie and Eoin Halpin, Archaeological Development Services, Unit 6, Channel Wharf, 21 Old Channel Road, Belfast, BT3 9DE.
Site type: Prehistoric
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 706392m, N 846988m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.360438, -6.363026
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 1km of the pipeline in the townland of Drumaran. Areas of investigation were allocated a prefix which included the eastern road crossing number (RDX number) and the field number (F number). These investigations took place between 21 and 22 June 2010.
Three areas of archaeology were uncovered within this townland and these were located in section RDX 3 F07 and RDX 4 F02. These will de described separately below.
Two areas of archaeology comprising five pits were uncovered in RDX 3 F07. The first area was situated at 307023 346920 and comprised four large subrectangular features, each measuring approximately 0.8m by 1.2m. These did not form any structural pattern but are likely to be contemporary due to similarity in size and morphology. Prehistoric pottery sherds were recovered from one of these pits. The second area lay in close proximity to the first, at 307010 346904, and consisted of an oval pit measuring 0.2m by 0.25m. No finds were recovered from this feature.
The archaeology in RDX 4 F02 was situated at 306618 347063 and consisted of a large sub-oval trough feature which lay on the periphery of two small subcircular spreads of burnt stone and charcoal. This fulacht lay in close proximity to a more extensive fulacht fiadh, also uncovered during this project in RDX 3 F01 and excavated under licence AE/10/106 (see No. 65 above – site misplaced in Co. Armagh). These features and deposits are therefore likely to be part of greater complex of fulachta fiadh rather than isolated sites.
