For many years past, when walking beneath the crags of Ben Madighan, north from the public way on the old bridle path to Colin Ward, I have observed, in a peaty meadow close behind the residence of James Grant, in the townland of Ballygolan, a circular conical mound, more noticeable in winter than at other times. No map - not even the new 25-inch ordnance - gives any indication of it; yet to me it had the appearance of an old fort, or perhaps a crannoge, in what was a swamp many years ago. The "oldest inhabitant" had no information on the subject, so I was fortunately driven to a careful examination in order to verify my opinion, and in this I was ably assisted by Herbert Grant, a son of the proprietor. The site is in a slight hollow, with the high cliffs of the hill to the south, a gentle elevation, followed by a steep declivity to the north, forming a sufficient crater to contain a bog, or even a lake, before modern drainage was carried out. The soil around is still peaty and damp, and a copious spring is near at hand. The views on all hands are wide-stretching and magnificent. Behind, towering like an Alp, is MacArt's Fort; in front, stretches Carnmoney Hill, one of the drums of which is capped by Dunanney; in the valley between lies the fort of Drumnadrough: four forts in all. these form a stright line across the valley leading to Glengormley from the White House, down the centre of which flows the Glas-na-breadan to the sea, supplying many factories with water on its way. These forts are almost equidistant; but wanting this newly found one, there would be a gap between between that of Drumnadrough and MacArt; with it, the chain is complete across the valley, all in a direct line. I lay some stress upon this, as I do not consider such an arrangement accidental. At present, this fort is almost circular, about 70 feet in diameter, and 4 and a half feet to its highest point. My investigations consisted of cutting four trenches, about two feet wide and four or five feet deep, right through the site of the fosse and the inside ridge, each of which, and the material thrown out, I examined with care. Damp peat constituted the fort, mingled with stones and much decayed timber of different varieties, including fir, birch, and oak. Some pieces showed working in different ways, partly by blunt tools. After the first glance, I at once decided that it was undoubtedly an ancient place of residence. The soil had a disturbed look, not like a natural deposit; and then evidences even more reliable were turned up. Ashes were rather abundant, and some burnt bone, of what animal I cannot ascertain. Fragments of pottery were also numerous, but none sufficiently large to enable me to form an accurate idea of the size of the vessels. A few had the appearance of burial urns, but most of the domestic vessels, similar to those found in crannoges, of the bronze age. One large piece shows an indented ornament on the lip, and a similar ornamental band around the neck: this is part of a comparatively large vessel. Portions of a base were also found, and another lip with a wavy ornament, and one with a similar top. other lips are plain, graduating thicker towards the centre of the vessel. The accompanying drawings accurately represent several of the fragments found: the material of which they are in general composed is fairly coarse and well burned. One fragment shows the appearances of having been turned on a wheel. It may be of later date.
