1996:294 - TERMONFECKIN: Thunder Hill, Louth

Archaeological testing by trial-trenching of a proposed residential development at Thunder Hill, Termonfeckin, Co. Louth, was carried out in October 1996. The site is beside a tower house and lies within the suggested outer enclosure of the Early Christian monastery of St Fechin.

Six test-trenches were excavated in the area to be disturbed by the proposed new development. However, the excavation of these trenches revealed little in the way of archaeological stratigraphy. The natural boulder clay was revealed close to the surface and at a consistent depth over most of the site. At the south-east end of the site a shallow pit cut into the natural boulder clay was evident. This extended westwards outside the trench. It appeared to be roughly circular with a diameter of 1.5m. The pit measured 0.25m in depth and was filled with a material similar to the ploughsoil, containing some crushed shell and a few small animal bones. No finds were associated with this pit.

To the north of the site and closest to the tower house a layer of brown sandy clay was evident at a depth of 0.5m in one of the test-trenches. It contained crushed mussel shell and some animal bone. It measured 0.2m in thickness but no finds were associated with this.

Finds from the site included sherds of post-medieval earthenware and they were evident in the ploughsoil.