Souterrain

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on top of a broad low hill in an undulating landscape. A beehive chamber of a complex souterrain (No. 2) was accidently discovered in December 1987, and the area was excavated (E000460) the following summer when a second souterrain (ME005-104001-) came to light which proved to be earlier. No structures were associated with the souterrains and evidence of an enclosing bank or ditch was not encountered. The absence of an enclosure was confirmed by a resisitivity survey, and the souterrains were conserved by the landowner, presumably by closing. (Eogan 1990)
The S-N main passage (L 11.9m; Wth c. 1m; max. H 1.3m) of the later souterrain 2 was entered at its S end, but its E side had been damaged by a pit (diam. 2.5m; D 0.75m) close to the entry. The passage, most of whose roofstones had been removed, extended N as the floor descended. It cut the passage of the earlier souterrain 1 (ME005-104001-) and could have incorporated its beehive chamber as a spur to the W. The passage was back-filled with stony clays and the few artefacts recovered suggest that this occurred in the eighteenth century. At its N end the passage dropped into a lower S-N passage (L 2.6m) which connected with an E-W transverse passage (L 7.3m; Wth c. 1m; H c. 1.4m) at its centre. At the W end of the transverse passage is a beehive chamber (diam. 3m; H 2.6m) and at the E end is a similar beehive chamber (diam. 3m; H 2.3m).
A fragment of a millstone rough-out was built into the wall of the entrance passage and fragments of two quernstones were in the passages. The excavation on the surface was limited to the area around the souterrain entrances, the only features being a few pits, but amongst the few finds was a bronze stud. A roofstone in the entrance passage was a re-used ogham stone (ME005-104002-), and two roofstones (ME005-104003-; ME005-104004-) from the transverse passage also had ogham inscriptions.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 5 September 2018

References

Eogan, G. 1990 Ballynee Souterrains, Co. Meath. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 120, 41-64.