Fortification in Linns

The first historical reference to the Longphort of Linn Duachaill is in 841 (AU) when foreigners from this place raided deep into Tethba (Longford), and raids continued to originate from here into the 850s. In 851 it withstood an attack by other Vikings, and raiders from Linn Duachaill attacked Armagh the following year. After this it is not mentioned again until a final reference in 926 when a fleet from Strangford Lough may have over-wintered here. The location was identified as Linn townland at Annagassan (Todd 1867, P LXII-III) on the NW-SE peninsula between the river Glyde and the sea. Linn means a pool and is thought to refer to the river pool where a meandering NW-SE section of the river Glyde meets a S-N run of the river Dee before the combined rivers turn NE and enter the sea together. The earliest Viking settlement may have been on the SE shore of the peninsula, although McKeown (2005) thought that the Viking camp would have utilised the height of Lisnaran Fort (LH015015001-) as a citadel and what had been an island to the NW that was isolated by an old meander of the river as the longphort where a defensive earthwork might not be necessary. The peninsula, which is also likely to contain the early monastery (LH015-014----) of St Colmán mac Luachan (obit 699), is shaped like a backwards letter ‘B’, and a geophysical survey (07R0138) by J. Nicholls at the outer or NW narrow point identified a NE-SW linear anomaly which probably extended across the peninsula (L c. 250m) as far as the sea. Archaeological testing (10E0329) by M. Clinton as a research project that opened three trenches was conducted in September 2010 (excavations.ie 2010:468) to investigate some of the anomalies. In Trench 1 a deep fosse (Wth of top 4; Wth of base c. 1m; D 2m) with steep sides and evidence of many re-cuts was uncovered. There were fragments of willow wood from the original fill at the base of the ditch that provided a C14 date of 680-890 cal. AD (SUREC-33518 (GU-23451). Just SE of the fosse were the remains of a metalled surface and evidence of an earthen bank (Wth 2.5m; H 0.6m) with a second ditch (Wth 1.8m; D 1m) that may have curtailed the inner edge of the bank. A sample of Pomodieae or fruitstone charcoal from the bottom of the inner ditch yielded a determination of 660-780 cal. AD (SUREC-34092 (GU-23452). The outer ditch was sealed by an occupation layer with sherds of 13th and 14th century glazed pottery. A second trench uncovered two metalled surfaces and a number of pits, one of which may have functioned as a smelting pit associated with iron working. Trench 3 was located close to the river Glyde and uncovered a waterlogged ditch (Wth 2.85m; D 0.95m) together with another metalled surface. Samples from the bottom and top of this ditch provided C14 dates of 760-900 cal. AD and 680-880 cal. AD respectively. Artefacts from the excavation included a number of roves and ships nails, a small bronze boss or mount with Early Christian style geometric decoration, a rolled strip of bronze, a bronze brooch-pin, a spindle whorl, a lead weight and hack silver. The linear earthwork and the recovered material indicates a ninth or tenth century fortification (Clinton 2013-4) Compiled by: Claire Breen Date of upload: 21 June 2012 Amended: 19 April, 2023 Clinton, M. 2013-14 The Viking Longphort of Linn Duachaill: A First Report. Peritia vol. 24-5, 123-40. McKeown, M. 2005 Annagassan, A Study of the Viking Longphort. Co. Louth Archaeological and Historical Society, 26, 1, 67-79 O’Hara, R. and O’Connell, A. 2011 Archaeological Assessment Linns, Annagassan, Co. Louth. License: 10E0329; 10R0131. Unpublished report, Archer Heritage Planning Todd, J. H. (ed.) 1867 Cogadh Gaedhel re Gallaiby: the war of the Gaedhil with the Gaill (RS 48). London