1995:214 - DUNDALK: Park St., Louth

An archaeological assessment of a proposed commercial development at 86 and 91 Park St., Dundalk, was carried out on 27 April 1995. The site lies within an area of archaeological potential as outlined in the Urban Archaeology Survey of County Louth. Development had proceeded on the site without archaeological supervision and all foundation trenches were backfilled and the building almost complete before the assessment took place. It was decided that a trial-hole along the south-east end of the development would suffice to assess the archaeological deposits in this area. The top 0.45m consisted of a gravel shale material which was presumably used as a foundation for the concrete yard which formerly existed here. Below this layer was a 1.5m-thick layer of dark brown loam which contained a small amount of oyster shell and animal bone. No dating evidence was retrieved for the layer, which sat directly on the fine grey estuarine silt. The lack of any modern finds and the presence of animal bone and oyster shell within the deposit may indicate that it is of early post-medieval date or earlier and similar to deposits found in nearby Patrick St. No features were discovered within the layer but this may be due to the small size of the trial-hole.

30 Laurence St., Drogheda, Co. Louth