Cairn - unclassified

The National Monuments Service's description

A cairn (DG080-015001-) 3.6m N-S × 2.3m E-W and 0.75m high has a flat slab set upright on top. The slab (DG080-015002-) is .88m × 0.43m × 0.1m. This is station 9 of St. Columbkille's turas but the antiquity of these features is not clear. It is situated in fair pasture land in the centre of Glencolumbkille valley.

Pre-development testing was carried out by Richard Crumlish under licence No. 06E0087 on 9 and 10 February 2006 at a site at Drumroe townland, Glencolumbcille, Co. Donegal. The proposed development, the construction of five dwelling houses and a sewage treatment plant, was partially located within the archaeological constraint for a cairn, named as ‘Penitential Station’ on the 6-inch OS sheet, and located 32m away across a road. Testing consisted of the excavation (by machine) of five trenches, which measured 60m, 29.5m, 41m, 20m and 45m long respectively, 0.9–2.3m wide and 0.2–1.5m deep. Below the topsoil was blue/grey plastic sandy clay and peat. Below the peat, which measured up to 1.3m thick, was more sandy clay and bedrock. Modern fill on the surface of one of the trenches, above the peat, was dumped on the site by the developer in 2005. One modern glass bottle was recovered from the topsoil. Apart from the fill, the testing revealed evidence of natural undisturbed stratigraphy. Nothing of archaeological significance was revealed (Bennett 2009, 97).

The above description was derived from the 'Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century.' Compiled by: Brian Lacey with Eamon Cody, Claire Cotter, Judy Cuppage, Noel Dunne, Vincent Hurley, Celie O'Rahilly, Paul Walsh and Seán Ó Nualláin (Lifford: Donegal County Council, 1983). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated.

Compiled by Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload/revision: 14 November 2011