2011:162 - 69 DRUMLOUGH ROAD, DRUMGATH, Down

An archaeological evaluation was carried out at this site at Drumgath, Rathfriland, in March in an effort to inform the planning service of the presence and survival of archaeological remains that would be adversely affected by the proposed residential development. The site is located in close proximity (approx. 9–11m) to the scheduled medieval graveyard and church site of Drumgath (DOW047-042s). Although irregular, it seems likely that the curvilinear outline of the graveyard once extended further west by some 8–10m, although this would still fall short of the application site. The antiquity of the graveyard is not known but it is cited in 16th- and 17th-century documentation. A medieval bronze hand-bell, with iron clapper and suspension loop (UM J21/A4170.1936), of probable 8th–10th-century date, was also found in the vicinity of the graveyard c. 1800 (C. Bourke, pers. comm.).
Four trenches were opened across the footprint of the proposed development using a mechanical excavator. The trenches were excavated to the surface of the natural subsoil (encountered at a depth of 0.17–0.15m) and no features or finds of archaeological significance were observed during the evaluation.

Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork (CAF), School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology, Queen’s University, Belfast BT7 1NN