County: Louth Site name: MULLAGHARLIN AND HAGGARDSTOWN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 98E0440
Author: Dermot G. Moore, Archaeological Development Services Ltd, Windsor House
Site type: Enclosure
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 705178m, N 804391m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.978080, -6.396564
Pre-development testing was undertaken in an area of approximately 100 acres, designated Site B, near the Finnabair Industrial Estate, Dundalk, Co. Louth. Within the area to be investigated there was one known archaeological site, a horseshoe-shaped, ditched feature, SMR 7:95. In the surrounding area there are a number of souterrains and an enclosure, suggesting that the landscape has a very high potential for sites dating to the Early Christian period.
Of the 28 trenches examined, only three produced archaeological remains. Trench 1 was dug at the horseshoe-shaped enclosure. A 2m x 24.4m trench was excavated from the centre of the enclosure southwards across the open area of the site to a maximum depth of 2.3m. Within this the continuation of the line of the enclosing ditch was uncovered. The ditch was 5.3m wide at its top and had an excavated depth of 1.8m. It had been cut through the slaty boulder clay on its southern edge and through what appeared to be a peat-filled natural hollow (containing wood remains) on its northern (interior) edge. The fills of the ditch comprised a peaty clay fill at its base with overlying shaly clay deposits, which may have been part of the original bank.
This enclosure may have been a small ringfort, although no internal features were uncovered, with the exception of a small area of charcoal and burnt stone measuring 1.8m x 0.6m.
It must be noted that with the enclosing ditch and external bank the interior of the site would have been quite small when compared with other known ringforts and crannogs.
Trench 7, orientated approximately north-south, measured 66m x 5m, with a 6m x 10m extension at its southern end. In this southern area of the trench, at the break in slope between a natural hillock and ridge, two areas of burnt and heat-shattered stones were uncovered sitting on the clayey gravel subsoil. The first measured c. 5m x 4.5m, and the second 2m x 1m. No finds were recovered from either area of burning, which had both been severely disturbed by later plough action.
Trench 13 measured 95m x 5m and was oriented north-west/south-east. Below the topsoil, at the southern end of the trench, another small area of burnt stone and charcoal-rich soil was uncovered sitting on the natural. This measured 1.1m x 1.4m. No finds were recovered from this area, which also had been disturbed by plough action.
Work is currently continuing in this part of Site B, and a buffer zone has been delimited around the horseshoe-shaped enclosure.
11 Fairview Strand, Fairview, Dublin 3
