2012:142 - Carrickabraghy, Derry

The excavation was carried out between 17 and 28 September 2012 in advance of conservation works at Carrickabraghy Castle (DG003-002), Isle of Doagh, Clonmany, Co. Donegal.  Carrickabraghy Castle is sited on a rocky promontory on the north-west coast of the Isle of Doagh, near the mouth of Trawbreaga Bay.  The ruins we see at the site today were probably constructed in the 16^th century.  The castle was unoccupied by 1665. The remains of Carrickabraghy Castle are a square keep, attached circular tower with attached east-west-orientated wall, a north-south-orientated wall which abuts the east-west-orientated wall and the stump of a second tower located 40m south-south-east of the keep.

The brief agreed with National Monuments Service was the excavation of two areas to recover rubble for use in the subsequent conservation works and the recording of any archaeological features/deposits revealed during the course of the excavation.

The two areas were excavated manually.  Area A consisted of the interior of the keep and measured 3.26-4.1m long (north-north-east/south-south-west) and 2.62-2.93m wide. It was excavated to a maximum depth of 0.5m.  Area B was located along the exterior face of the south wall of the keep.  It measured 3m long (north-north-east/south-south-west) and 3.8m wide.  It was excavated to a maximum depth of 0.6m.

Rubble and sand/gravel were found on the surface of Area A.  These appeared to be the result of collapse from the keep with a number of fine sands below possibly an accumulation of wind blown sand.  These layers contained animal bone, frequent charcoal, mussels, occasional periwinkles, one cockle shell, modern pottery sherds, modern glass fragments, a clay pipe-bowl fragment, three clay pipe stem fragments, a rust-encrusted horse-shoe and plastic.  Bedrock outcropped alongside a number of stone flags in the embrasure of a blocked-up doorway in the north wall of the keep.  The stone flags and a hearth feature found in the south-west corner of the keep appeared to represent the late medieval occupation phase of the castle. The hearth measured 0.78m long (west-north-west/east-south-east), 0.69m wide and 10-80mm thick.  It consisted of charcoal and ash on a bed of rocks, some of which were heat-shattered, enclosed by a border of smaller rocks.  The hearth contained animal bone, one oyster shell and one un-inscribed clay pipe stem.  Many of the remaining layers which were uncovered appeared to represent fills which would have been located below the floor which may well have been robbed out.  They contained small amounts of animal bone and oyster shell.

The rubble on the surface of Area B consisted of collapse from the south wall of the adjacent keep and contained 20^th-century artefacts.  The topsoil/sod was a recent build up and also contained 20^th-century artefacts.  A grey/black friable sandy silt loam below the surface layers appeared to be a mixture of collapse from the building and topsoil, which contained modern, if not 20^th-century, artefacts.  The layer below may well have been contemporary with the occupation of the castle with finds including two pottery sherds of Iberian origin dating to the late 16^th/early 17^th century and a number of lithics.  Sherds of this type have also been recovered from La Trinidad Valencera, the Spanish Armada wreck found in Kinnagoe Bay, 24km east of the castle.  A lens found within this layer appeared to be the remains of domestic refuse, as it was ash-like and contained shell and bone.  The black friable sandy silt found below the apparent late medieval occupation layer contained several lithics, while below it was a natural loose loamy sand deposit. A post-hole, which measured 0.22-0.28m in diameter and 0.16-0.21m deep, was found in the northern half of the area.  It was roughly circular in plan and cut into the loamy sand. Bedrock outcropped over the western side of the area and in the south-east corner and was at the base of the stratigraphy elsewhere.

The conservation works are due to begin in spring 2013.

4 Lecka Grove, Castlebar Road, Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo