Souterrain

The National Monuments Service's description

Discovered in late 2007 during potato harvesting. The accessible portion consists of a drystone length of passage (21.5m) roofed with large lintels, two trapdoor features, and a circular end chamber. From the present accidental entrance a passage (L 3m, Wth at floor level 0.7m; Wth at roof 0.56m; H 0.7m) runs E, towards a blocked trapdoor opening at roof level, this trapdoor led to a lower passage and the original entrance which are both blocked. There is a shelf (Wth 0.12-0.15m) at either side of the higher passage at floor level of the trapdoor.
The portion of passage going the other direction from the present entrance descends initially to the SE (L 5m) and then bends to the S and runs for a length of 4.5m where it meets a trapdoor in the floor of the passage. The end wall of the upper passage at the trapdoor rises directly from the lintel but there is a shelf (Wth 0.10 – 0.15m) at each side. After the trapdoor the passage continues on roughly the same alignment (N-S) for 9m to the entrance of a circular corbelled chamber (diam. 2.6m; H at centre 1.8m). The only finds recovered included a few pieces of cattle bone. (Claffey et al. 2008, 479-83)

Compiled by: Claire Breen

Date of upload: 3 July 2012

References

Claffey, L., Manning, C. and Walsh, A. 2008 A newly discovered souterrain at Millockstown. In County Louth. Journal of the County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society 26, 479-83.