1999:701 - IDA BUSINESS PARK, Kilkarn, Athlumney, Navan, Meath

The site is set on the high east bank of the River Boyne and consists of four souterrains, an overlying occupation layer and several large ditches. A disused sand quarry had removed the north-western portion of the site. Excavations were carried out between 12 January and 15 March 1999.

Souterrain 1 consisted of two portions truncated by the quarry, a short section of passage and a small portion of a circular chamber. The preserved portion of passage was very short, only 2.1m from the quarry edge to the end of the passage. The passage was 0.94m wide, ended abruptly and did not widen or constrict at its end. The abrupt south-east end of the passage may be a 'drop' entrance.

Souterrain 2 was almost completely intact. It had a ramped entrance, two right-angled left-hand turns in a gradually descending passage, a drop-creep, another short section of passage and then a T-junction with a passage that terminated at each end in a beehive-shaped chamber. The entrance to the souterrain was deliberately blocked with a fill of midden material and stones.

Only the very top stones of Souterrain 3 were exposed. It was planned and photographed and then covered again for preservation. The portion exposed was a 6.5m length of straight passage.

A possible fourth souterrain was encountered in a machine trench and subsequently reburied for preservation. The feature as exposed in the trench was a drystone wall, three courses high. It appeared to be the outside of a souterrain passage wall.

Where the site had not been disturbed by the quarry there was an occupation soil directly below the topsoil. Two hearths and a shallow ditch segment were associated with the occupation layer.

Several large ditches were also discovered. All of these ditches contained charcoal and/or domestic animal bones. The ditches do not form an integrated pattern that would suggest a single-phase enclosure. The ditches appear to be the result of several different phases of use of the site but may all be assumed to be roughly contemporary with the souterrains, as there was no evidence of significant activity on the site at other times.

Ditch A was 1.98m deep and 7.2m wide. Ditch B was 1.38m deep and 5m wide. Ditch C was very irregular in the section revealed, and this section may represent two ditches cut into each other. It was 1.5m deep at its deepest and 8.2m wide. Ditch D was 1.6m deep and 3.8m wide. Ditch E was 0.7m deep and 5.1m wide. Ditch F was at least 0.5m deep and 1.2m wide.

Finds were very scarce on the site. They are awaiting analysis, but a preliminary list includes two bone pins, a glass bead, fragments of lignite bracelets, a bone bead, a few lithic flakes and some metal finds. Carbonised remains of both domestic and wild plants were recovered. The domestic plants were oats, barley, rye and wheat.

63 Cregaun, Tobarteascain, Ennis, Co. Clare