Excavation - miscellaneous

The National Monuments Service's description

Close to the W edge of Aughinish Island, in an area now occupied by an industrial complex (Aughinish Alumina). The site was excavated in 1974 prior to the industrial development. It consisted of a roughly circular area (diam. 35m) enclosed by a bank revetted internally and externally by limestone slabs and with a rubble core (Kelly 1974). The excavation revealed 'the plan of a circular house 8m in diameter', with 'pits and some entrance features' (ibid.). Coarse pottery was found, similar to that found at a nearby site excavated at the same time 200m to the NW (LI010-017---). The excavator concluded that this site also dated to the Late Bronze Age. Also uncovered was 'a small rectangular stone-walled structure measuring 5m x 4m' which partially overlaid the 'collapsed fort wall', There was no dating evidence for this structure but the excavator compared it with a similar feature excavated at the same time 500m to the S (LI010-018---).

Compiled by: Denis Power

Date of upload: 26 August 2011

References

Kelly, E. 1974 Aughinish Island: sites 1 and 2. In T.G. Delaney (ed.), Excavations 1972-4, 21. Belfast. Association of Young Irish Archaeologists and Ulster Archaeological Society.