Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Mullaghattin (dundalk Lwr By; Carlingford Par.)

Situated towards the bottom of a steep S-facing slope at the S edge of the NNW-SSE ridge of Carlingford Mountain. It was first identified as a cropmark defined by a low earthen bank on aerial photograph (GB90.BG.11) taken in July 1990 and added to the SMR in 2010. A geophysical survey and archaeological testing (08E0557) confirmed the existence of a surrounding fosse (McCarthy 211). The monument was completely excavated (15E0375) in August - September 2015 by Aidan O’Connell (2016) for Archer Heritage Planning in advance of an extension to a quarry by Ready Mixed Concrete (Ireland) Ltd. The monument is revealed as a subrectangular area (max. int. dims 42m N-S; 38m E-W) defined by the remains of a fosse (Wth 1.5-4m; D 0.5-0.9m), with a large entrance gap (Wth 15m) that has no fosse at NE. Traces of the bank (L 6m; Wth 3m; H 0.25m) were found on the W side, from which a sample of carbonised hazel produced a C14 determination of AD 770-940, but no internal layers or features were recorded. A carbonised layer at the base of the ditch at the SE produced 16 sherds of souterrain ware from a total of 24 sherds that probably came from a single vessel, and provided a C14 date of AD 678-865. The only other artefact is an iron knife. Hazel, holly and oak were recovered in the charcoal samples in that order by weight, indicating a scrub or coppiced woodland environment in the vicinity. The seed material was dominated by barley and oats, and the tolerance of weeds, principally knotweed, in the sample together with the occurrence of straw, suggests that they may have been cultivated as animal fodder rather than as food. Unusually, no faunal remains were recovered. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of revised upload: 2 August 2016 O’Connell, A. 2016 Mullaghattin townland, Carlingford, Co. Loth. Arhcaeological excavation of enclosure LH008-116. Final Report. Unpublished report: Archer Heritage Planning