County: Louth Site name: ATHCLARE CASTLE, Dunleer
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 18:40 Licence number: 99E0337
Author: Deirdre Murphy, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd.
Site type: Castle - tower house
Period/Dating: Medieval (AD 400-AD 1600)
ITM: E 705687m, N 788034m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.831053, -6.394456
The site of Athclare Castle is south of the town of Dunleer. The castle itself is built of coursed limestone and greywacke rubble with limestone quoins. It has a batter and is three storeys high over a north-south barrel vault. The proposed development is an extension to the west side of the castle on the site of a previously demolished building.
Test-trenching was carried out on the site. Trench 1 was excavated parallel to the existing building in a north to south direction and was 8m long, 1.1m wide and 0.55m deep. Modern driveway gravel extended to a depth of 0.1m, below which a layer of red brick and stone rubble extended to 0.35m, where yellow boulder clay was exposed. No features or finds were evident.
Trench 2 was excavated parallel to Trench 1 in the area of the proposed development and was 10m long, 1.1m wide and 0.6m deep. Gravel extended to 0.1m, with brick, stone, sand and rubble extending to 0.25m. Directly below this lay natural, yellow boulder clay. No features or finds were evident.
Trench 3 was excavated in the area of the proposed septic tank and was 3.2m long, 1.4m wide and 2.1m deep. The sod extended to a depth of 0.1m and overlay a stony topsoil that extended to 0.35m and rested directly on natural, yellow boulder clay. A field drain was uncovered at a depth of 0.35m, composed of loose stones (0.05–0.1m) running north-east to south-west. The boulder clay extended to a depth of 1.1m, at which point rock was evident. Apart from the drain, no other features were evident, and no finds were recovered.
Trench 4 was excavated north-west of Trench 3 and was 1m long, 1m wide and 0.8m deep. The sod extended to a depth of 0.12m, below which a stony layer extended to 0.3m and rested directly on boulder clay. No finds or features were evident.
Trench 5 was excavated on the proposed percolation area and was 1m long, 1m wide and 0.8m deep. The sod extended to a depth of 0.12m, below which a stony, brown layer of clay extended to a depth of 0.3m, where the boulder clay was exposed. No features or finds were evident.
In conclusion, it would appear that the earlier dwelling and its foundation were destroyed in their entirety. Owing to the absence of archaeological deposits in the area, no further work is required.
15 Trinity Street, Drogheda, Co. Louth
