Finnis souterrain

The souterrain was first built in the 9th century and records of it date to the early 18th century. Although the exact purpose of souterrains has been debated, it is thought that they were used as a refuge from raiders or invaders, or a place to store religious artifacts. As souterrains are dry and cold places, they may have also been used to store food. In 1977, the site was cleared and surveyed by archaeologists but no formal excavation took place. Work to restore the site and open it to the public later began after collaboration between the landowner and Banbridge District Council. Funding for this was provided by the Mourne Heritage Trust, the Environment and heritage Service and the…

The site is made up of a 30 m long main passage that runs east to west, with two 6 m long side passages on the right-hand side that open into small chambers. All three passages are approximately 1 m wide. The first 7.5 m of the main passage is approximately 1 meter high, after which there is a low lintel structure and the passage continues at approximately 1.5 m in height in a slight downward curve. The walls are granite and were constructed using a dry stone method. The roof consists of flat stone lintels that span between the walls. The current entrance is not in the original location, which is unknown. It is also unknown when the current entrance was created, but it dates to at least…