County: Louth Site name: DUNDALK: 17–19 Chapel St.
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 95E0275
Author: Deirdre Murphy, Archaeological Consultancy Services
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Medieval (AD 400-AD 1600)
ITM: E 704928m, N 807410m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.005252, -6.399333
Archaeological testing of a proposed residential development at 17–19 Chapel St., Dundalk, was carried out in December 1995. The site is within the zone of archaeological potential and lies in close proximity to the medieval friary of St Leonard's. Three trenches were excavated in the area to be disturbed by the proposed development. No structural evidence was uncovered during the testing of the site but archaeological deposits exist. A black layer measuring 0.3m in thickness was uncovered at a depth of 1.35m. This layer was evident in two of the trenches towards the west of the site and fronting onto Chapel St. It contained burnt timber fragments and an upright post 0.15m in length, suggesting that it was part of a structure. Though no substantial dating evidence was retrieved for the layer, it is probably of medieval date as the layer is sealed by garden soil from which was retrieved a single sherd of early post-medieval pottery. When exposed further east in Trench 2 this layer contained shell and animal bone. Directly below this layer the natural boulder clay was exposed. In general, archaeological stratigraphy survives at the western end of this site, while at the extreme eastern extent stratigraphy is shallow and the boulder clay lies close to the surface.
30 Laurence St., Drogheda, Co. Louth
