1999:711 - STAGRENNAN, Meath

From September 1999 to February 2000 archaeological monitoring was carried out on the material dredged from the navigable channel of the River Boyne. This work was commissioned by Drogheda Port Company. The river was dredged from Tom Roe's Point to the sea using two methods. Cutter suction dredging was used for 2000m from Tom Roe's Point eastwards and was then replaced by the mechanical excavation of material into barges. In the cutter suction method the sands and gravels were transported to a landfill site at Stagrennan Polder via a floating pipeline and pumped out in a 20–25% solids/75–80% water solution. The water was allowed to drain off and was released back into the river via a sluice-gate. The material retrieved by mechanical excavation was transported by barge to a purpose-dug surge pit close to Stagrennan Polder. It was then pumped out of this surge pit regularly, using the cutter suction dredger.

Monitoring was carried out on a seven-day-week basis during daylight hours. As the surface of the landfill was constantly changing, all surfaces were continually walked and metal-detected. The finds retrieved came from the following areas: the wash (water run-off area), the freshly bulldozed material and the existing bund material. The locations of the finds were recorded as they were retrieved from the landfill site. From an archaeological perspective, only the immediate finds, i.e. those from the freshly bulldozed material and from the wash, could have a potential original location given to them. The locations applied to this material were the daily dredger locations in the river. The material retrieved from the bund areas, as well as that pumped from the surge pit, is unfortunately lacking in context, owing to the procedure involved. The area close to the mouth of the outflow pipe could only be examined when pumping was not in progress. There were fairly frequent stoppages each day that allowed this inspection to take place.

The finds retrieved included over 3000 pieces of worked flint, large quantities of animal bone, an intact human skull, post-medieval and medieval pottery, tile and pipe, clay pipes, glass, leather off-cuts, 58 small wooden objects (mainly barrel bungs and pulley wheels) and some larger, possible ship timbers from various points along the river. Four interesting artefacts were retrieved—an antler hammer/macehead, a worked bone toggle-like item, a copper-alloy pin 0.21m long and a copper-alloy socketed and basal-looped spearhead.

Windsor House, 11 Fairview Strand, Fairview, Dublin 3