1996:284 - DUNDALK HOUSE, Church Street, Dundalk, Louth

The site was assessed for archaeological deposits in November–December 1996 prior to development. The property is effectively that of the old manufacturing and distribution centre of Carroll’s tobacconists, before its removal to the outskirts of the town.

An earlier historical survey established the significance of the site in the history of the town. It belonged to the Cashells, the ruling family for much of the town’s history from the mid-thirteenth century until 1649, when their power was brought ignominiously to an end after the last of their line, Oliver, was hung outside the door of their house by the Cromwellians. From the Restoration, the property belonged to Viscount Dungannon, to be eventually passed on in this century to the Carrolls, whose tobacco empire had begun modestly in the adjacent shop.

The medieval property stretched back from the street towards the line of the old town wall. The wall was completely demolished by Lord Limerick in the mid-eighteenth century, but its outline can be identified by the location of the adjacent streets, the Long Walk and Laurels Road. Beyond this line, the medieval town gave way to low-lying marshes.

The assessment therefore focused on three particular parts of the site. The ground adjacent to Dundalk House and Clanbrassil Street (Area A) was examined primarily with a view to establishing the existence, if any, of deposits that might indicate medieval occupation. The ground between Laurels Road and the Long Walk (Area B) was examined to highlight any remains of the town wall and ditch. Further west (Area C), the ground was examined largely to confirm the probable late date of the use of the land.

The trench close to the street exposed medieval clays initially at 1–2m, and at deeper levels where the natural boulder clay fell to 3.5m below the surface. Several thick deposits of dark brown pungent clays, anaerobic clays and friable clays, each associated with medieval pottery, were sealed by a thin band of redeposited boulder clay. The trenches behind the houses yielded consistent, albeit less extensive, clays of medieval date. Thick deposits of post-medieval soils enveloped them.

The examination of the town wall area was handicapped by the continued presence of underground services, but the remains of a deep cut into the boulder clay, filled with dark brown clays, came to light where it was expected to find evidence for the town defences. The cut was at its deepest at the northern end of the site, and appeared as only a shallow gully near the Long Walk. Any extant remains of the town wall eluded the investigation.

Archaeological deposits west of the ditch exhausted themselves within 10m, and no further evidence for archaeological remains was exposed beyond them.