County: Meath Site name: DULANE
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 11:37 Licence number: 96E0113
Author: Rosanne Meenan
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 673821m, N 778245m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.748598, -6.880773
An area of land adjacent to the graveyard was acquired by the Dulane Development Committee for an extension to the existing burial-ground.
Dulane is reputed to have been founded by St Cairnech in the fifth century. There are many records documenting attacks by Viking raiders on the monastery, and the church became a parish church after the coming of the AngloNormans. The standing remains of the church retain antae and a lintelled doorway, and a souterrain has been recorded west of the graveyard (SMR 11:35).
Testing was carried out to the north and south of the existing graveyard to establish which areas are free of archaeological material. Archaeological features were exposed in all of the areas tested to a distance 60m south and c. 45m north of the church remains. Fourteen features were exposed in ten of the fifteen test-trenches. These were all cut into the natural gravels; they were normally distinguished by a greyer fill with higher clay content and charcoal flecking. Slag was found in Trench 10 on the north side of the graveyard. There were no finds in any of the features.
At the time of writing the Development Committee has not been allowed to continue with the proposed extension.
Roestown, Drumree, Co. Meath
