1996:292 - KNOCKLORE AND COOKSTOWN, Louth

Commissioned by Louth County Council, this work involved the archaeological investigation of two possible sites in advance of the N2 Road Improvement Scheme between Ardee and Rathory in County Louth.

Trial-trenches were mechanically excavated at Knocklore, the site of an earthwork/enclosure and cemetery, and at Cookstown, a linear earthwork, to determine whether full excavation would be required prior to the commencement of road construction. Co-ordinator of the archaeological project was Valerie J. Keeley Ltd.

Knocklore is indicated on the OS map as an oval platform. The OS Letters refer to the site as Lois na Kellic, which may be a misspelling of Lios na Relig, ‘the rath of the cemetery’, suggesting the existence of a cemetery. The site was bulldozed in 1964, resulting in no visible trace of the monument surviving above ground level. During the destruction of the site approximately twenty graves were discovered, contained in a raised mound.

Five trenches (ranging in length from 10m to 20m and 2m wide) were mechanically excavated at this site. The excavation revealed no subsurface archaeological remains. It appears that the destruction of the site in 1964 resulted in the removal of a large quantity of earth, and ultimately in the removal of any features of archaeological significance.

Cookstown appears as a linear earthwork defined by an earthen bank with stone facing, measuring c. 3m in width and 1m in height. The site runs along the northern side of the townland boundary between Cookstown and Tattyboys for a distance of c. 140–150m. It lies some 300m from the roadway but may be affected by the installation of pipes providing a discharge of water from the roadway.

It was thought that this may be part of the Pale boundary, although this is dismissed by some. Three trenches (5m by 2m) were mechanically excavated at right angles to the linear earthwork. These trenches provided no evidence for a ditch and revealed the area to be archaeologically sterile.