88 H. C. Lawlor on 



is still undisturbed, as shown in the longtitudinal section. This 

 question of the original entrance, or what we may call the hall 

 door, of a Souterrain has almost always puzzled me. In Knockdhu 

 Souterrain the present entrance is made by the removal of two 

 roofing flags. Immediately below were the hearth remains, a 

 deep layer of burned wood, soot, cooking pots, burned bones, etc., 

 showing clearly that the present is not the original entrance, but 

 the site of the chimney. In comparatively few cases can we say 

 with certainty where the original entrance was. Kilbride, I 

 think, is beyond question an example of a Souterrain in abso- 

 lutely perfect state as it left the hands of the builders, excepting 

 that the upper portion of the chimney is destroyed. The 

 longitudinal section shows the positions of entrance door, fire- 

 place, chimney, drain and side doorways. 



The remains found in this underground house were more 

 numerous than in any other that I have completely investigated. 

 What is more important, however, is the fact that all the remains 

 appear to be of one period, not like Ballymartin and Donegore, 

 where remains of succeeding periods were found, dating from the 

 14th or 15th century backwards. 



In Kilbride we have evidence that the house was not 

 occupied for a very long time. In the first place the passage 

 ways left by the builder for adding to the house were never 

 availed of as they likely would have been had it continued long 

 in occupation. In the second place the remains found were all 

 in a shallow undisturbed layer of about 6 inches in depth at its 

 thickest part, under the loose soil that buried it, whereas it is 

 reasonable to suppose that had the house been long in use a 

 deep layer would have accumulated. The pottery, of which 

 there was a great deal, was all of one type, and of the type to 

 which by far the greater part of the Souterrain pottery belongs. 

 We may, I think, confidently assume, that the remains 

 found in this house are all contemporary with- the date of the 

 building of the house and the short period it continued to be 

 occupied ; and, therefore, that if we can apjiroximately date the 



