County: Louth Site name: BROADLOUGH 2
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 99E0200
Author: Matthew Seaver for Valerie J. Keeley Ltd.
Site type: Fulacht fia
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 697263m, N 790967m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.859040, -6.521454
This site was c. 10m east of the east bank of the River Dee. This area was being excavated for piling, which would be used to support a new river-crossing. The material above the site was a silty, orange/brown clay that contained frequent manganese and iron staining and occasional decayed stones. This would suggest that the deposits were formed by riverine deposition.
The site was a burnt spread 1.5m east-west by 1.3m. It comprised a spread of charcoal-rich clay with frequent heat-cracked stone. A wooden stake, 0.1m by 0.8m, penetrated the centre of the spread. This was surrounded by a cut 0.32m by 0.35m. The stake was relatively recent in date. The burnt deposit was 0.28m deep. It overlay a subrectangular trough that had sloping sides.
The trough was 2.12m north-south by 1.5m. It had a maximum depth of 0.18m. It was truncated by four large post-holes. In the north-east corner a circular post-hole, 0.18m by 0.19m, was uncovered. This was up to 0.17m deep. It was flush with the corner of the trough. In the south-east corner a subcircular post-hole, 0.22m by 0.18m, was excavated. It was c. 0.14m deep. Both of these post-holes were filled with the burnt material.
In the south-west of the site a subcircular post-hole, 0.2m by 0.22m, was 0.16m deep. In the north-west an irregular-shaped post-hole, 0.4m by 0.3m, was found. This comprised a subcircular post-hole measuring 0.3m by 0.26m with a 'lip' facing east. It was up to 0.22m deep. Both of these post-holes were filled with blue-grey, silty marl with frequent charcoal flecks. The extreme west of the trough did not have a definite edge and dropped away into a linear gully. These features were sealed under the blue/grey marl, which contained occasional heat-shattered stones. A single, small, rounded stone was found within this gully.
The gully was flat-bottomed with gently sloping sides. It was up to 1.2m wide at the top and 0.22m deep. It ran north-south and seemed to curve to respect the trough. It was traced for a length of 15m. It had a shallow terminal at its southern end, while the northern stretch continued beyond the area of excavation. It appeared to be heading in the direction of the river. The blue/grey marl was much purer to the south and contained no burnt stone. The trough, gully and post-holes were all cut into a compact, light yellow/brown, stony, sterile clay. A sample is currently being processed for radiocarbon dating.
29–30 Duke Street, Athy, Co. Kildare
