2026:067 - Drummond Otra, Dundalk Road, Carrickmacross, Monaghan

Archaeological test excavations were carried out in April 2026 in relation to the proposed construction of a housing development at Drummond Otra, Dundalk Road, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan.

The site comprised an agricultural greenfield plot, located in Drummond Otra townland, at the southeast of Carrickmacross town, on the south-western side of the Dundalk Road (R178). There are no SMR/RMP sites within the proposed development site, though a crannog (MO031-038—-) is recorded c. 70m to the northeast and its associated Zone of Notification extends to within c. 10m of the development site. The development site is located immediately west and adjacent to God’s Acre Cemetery, a late 19th-century graveyard (NIAH: 41403102).

Testing comprised the excavation of eight targeted test-trenches. The test-trenches were principally focused on the proposed locations of the houses and roads within the proposed development, with two additional trenches testing the area of the site in close proximity to the boundaries with the neighbouring cemetery.

The excavated test-trenches were 1.8m in width and varied in length from 40–90m, with depths ranging from of 0.29–0.5m. The general stratigraphy across all eight excavated test-trenches comprised a sod layer c. 0.05m deep, overlying a topsoil deposit comprising a moderately compact, dark-brown silty sand with frequent small sized sub-rounded stones, which overlay a subsoil layer comprising a moderately compact, orange-brown sandy gravel with a moderate amount of small sized sub-rounded stones.

With the exception of a single sherd of post-medieval pottery from the topsoil in Trench 6, no finds were recovered from any of the excavated trenches.

No archaeological features, or deposits were identified in any of the excavated test-trenches.