2024:821 - Ballymakenny, Drogheda, Louth

A geophysical survey conducted on the site in 2021 identified a sub-circular enclosure (21R0044; Murphy & Breen 2021). This was subsequently confirmed by archaeological test trenching (18E0550; Russell 2022).

Monitoring of the northern and eastern side of the site was initially carried out by Ian Russell of ACSU under licence 18E0550. This licence was subsequently transferred to Glenn Gibney of ACSU, who conducted the excavation and all subsequent archaeological monitoring in compliance with the method statement approved by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in consultation with the National Museum of Ireland. The northern field was under a separate planning application, and a report on this area was submitted to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Russell 2024).

In addition to the previously identified sub-circular enclosure, many additional features were identified during topsoil stripping and site cleaning. These included 23 pits, 14 post-holes (comprising at least 1 possible structure), two hearths, a penannular ring barrow with internal cremation burials, and a modern field boundary ditch. Additionally, many modern east-west running agricultural plough furrows were found. These furrows truncated several of the archaeological features. Most features were found in the internal area of the enclosure ditch.

Post-excavation analysis has revealed that the site at Ballymakenny has been subject to human activity for almost four thousand years and has had multiple phases of activity. Based on artefactual evidence and confirmed by radiocarbon dating, the earliest phase was the construction and use of a ring barrow funerary monument. Here, at least two individuals, an adult and a child, were buried in the Early Bronze Age following cremation. The child cremation burial was radiocarbon dated to 1880–1700 BC and placed within an Early-Middle Bronze Age cordoned urn. An additional cordoned urn of the same period was recovered from the fill of the ring barrow ditch.

During the Middle and Late Bronze Age, a settlement developed next to the ring barrow, as confirmed by radiocarbon dating of post-hole C55, which returned a date between 1290 and 1050 BC. Additionally, several features, such as the upper fill of enclosure C5 and pits C14, C36 and C39, contained Late Bronze Age domestic vessels. As well as the Late Bronze Age domestic pottery vessels, the upper fills of enclosure C5 returned radiocarbon dates of between 810 and 540 BC. The site continued to be used into the Late Iron Age, based on radiocarbon dating of hearth C67 to AD 240–410.

Following the abandonment of the site, a field boundary ditch was constructed, and the site was reused for agriculture in the post-medieval period, as evidenced by the recovered 17^th-20^th-century artefacts.