2024:660 - Kilcurly, Louth

Test trenching was carried out at a large site in Kilcurly, Dundalk, Co. Louth, during the months of July and
August 2024. A total of 121 trenches with a length of 5924m were excavated. This was done in advance of the
construction of a proposed development and after an Archaeological Impact Assessment and geophysical
survey were carried out for the proposal. Test trenching was to determine the nature of the anomalies found
in the geophysical survey and to determine the extent of any potential archaeology on the site. There are two
Recorded Monuments within the site – a burial ground (LH006-111) and a crannóg (LH007-058), along with
two souterrains (LH006-110001, LH006-11002) that are located immediately outside the northern boundary
of the site.
The test trenches primarily revealed the site to be mainly undisturbed pastureland with compact, mid-greyish-brown topsoil resting on the natural soil, which was mainly a mix of stoney, mid-greyish-brown and orangish-brown silt clay. An area of drained marsh/bog/lake was in the north-east corner of the site, with stone-filled drains cut into the firm, dark blackish-brown peat and compact, light cream clay that formed the natural soil in this part of the site. No further archaeology was found in the vicinity of the known Recorded Monuments within the site. This is mainly due to the exclusion zones of the monuments being respected and none of the trenches being located close to them. A few possible monuments marked on 19th/20th-Century OS maps, e.g. tree rings, turned out not to be archaeological.
A previously unknown fulacht fiadh/burnt mound was uncovered in one of the trenches (Trench 18) in the
western part of the site. It measured 10m by 10m, was circular in plan, and was visible as a low mound in a flat area before the trench was excavated. It was composed of small heat-shattered stones and charcoal. It was in the vicinity of a stream that, at some point in the past, was turned into a mill race for a mill located to the south.