Excavations at Mountsandel, Lower Site, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry

“Credit is due to the late A McL May for spotting the Mesolithic potentialities of Mountsandel (Lower) by observing the abundance of worked Flints in dark, apparently occupation, soil which became visible as a result of a small landslip at the top of a extremely steep, well nigh precipitous, river bluff cut by the River Bann through glacial sands and gravel. A limited excavation in April 1959 was carried out in collaboration with Mr A.Mc L May (then aged 78 years).A further excavation was commenced in 1968.

P.S. The Mountsandel (Lower) is to be distinguished from the ‘Upper’ (brown on map) excavated in the 1970’s by P.C.Woodman, subsequently reported in N.I.Archaelogical Monograph No 2 (H.M.S.O.) in 1985.

Reference

A.E.P.Collins    U.J.A. Vol 46 1983 Excavations at Mountsandel, Lower Site, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry https://www.jstor.org/stable/20567892

For more information on Andrew May, explore the following links:

• Andrew McLean May: Pioneer of local archaeology and horticulture

• Andrew McL May and those who knew him

Other Andrew May excavations:

• Bronze Age Burials, Knocknacart

• Sweat Houses of County Londonderry

• Rock-Hewn Souterrain, Ballintemple

• A decorated bone case from Dreenan Bog

• Some Wooden Utensils from Tyance, Moyagoney and Dreenan Bog

• Pointed Bones, Flints and Stone Discs from the Lower Bann

• Cloghnagalla Cairn

• Cornacleary Round Cairn

• A wooden javelin from Altinure

• Two Cairns at Gortacloghan

• Cremation Burials at Gortfad, Co. Londonderry

• An Urn Burial at Slaghtaverty

• Mountsandel, Lower Site

• A Fine Spot for Fishing

• Iron Age Pits, Camus Coleraine