2004:1241 - GAINSTOWN (Testing Area 5), Meath

An assessment was carried out in advance of the planned M3 Clonee–North of Kells PPP scheme, Co. Meath, on the Navan bypass section (Contract 3). This section of the scheme is c. 8.5km long from the townland of Kennastown, south of Navan, to the townland of Ardbraccan, north-west of Navan. The EIS recommended testing any known or possible sites identified and Meath County Council further proposed to test the whole of the remainder of the route. For the purposes of testing, this section was divided into fourteen testing areas. The assessment methodology generally consisted of mechanically excavating 2mwide test-trenches along the centre-line and perpendicular to the centre-line to the edge of the land-take every 20m. The work was carried out on behalf of Meath County Council, the National Roads Design Office and the National Roads Authority.

Testing Area 5 was located in the townland of Gainstown between Chainages 43800 and 44600. Within this area, 9116m2 of the total 88,930m2 available was test-trenched, providing an assessment coverage of 10%. Three archaeological sites were identified (Gainstown 1–3). The ploughed-out and truncated remains of a burnt-stone spread and a pit filled with burnt-stone material were identified at Gainstown 1, six shallow burnt-stone spreads and a pit were identified at Gainstown 2 and a small pit (diameter 0.7m) filled with burnt-stone material was identified at Gainstown 3. It is likely that all of the burnt-stone spreads identified represent the remains of larger fulachta fiadh.