County: Louth Site name: DUNDALK: Townparks
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 7:105 (vicinity of) Licence number: 99E0737
Author: Rob Lynch, Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd.
Site type: Historic town and Children's burial ground
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 704796m, N 807576m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.006769, -6.401288
Test-trenching was undertaken to define, as far as was reasonably possible, potential adverse efffects on the archaeological resource as a result of proposed storm-water pipelines on Nicholas Street, York Street, Wolf Tone Terrace, Linenhall Street, Bridge Street and Laurels Road in Dundalk, Co. Louth. These pipelines form part of the Dundalk Sewerage Scheme, Contract No. 3.
A total of 26 test-trenches were excavated between 21 March and 3 May 2000. Significant archaeological deposits were recorded on Bridge Street, Linenhall Street, Nicholas Street, Laurels Road and, to a lesser extent, at the western end of Wolfe Tone Terrace.
Nicholas Street, Trenches 1–3, 7–10
Excavations in the northern end of Nicholas Street, in the vicinity of the town defences, revealed no evidence of archaeological features or deposits. To the south, on the western side of the street adjacent to the Church of St Nicholas, two trenches revealed post-medieval and medieval cobbled surfaces, which extend over an area of at least 40m. This material occurred at a depth of 0.4–0.6m below PGL.
Yorke Street, Trenches 11–13, 11a, 13a
Based on the results of the test-trenching, which spanned the full width of the street, it would appear that any in situ archaeology on the street had been truncated and removed by the insertion of later service trenches.
Wolfe Tone Terrace, Trenches 4–6
The remains of a cobbled surface, which overlay the natural geology, were recorded at a depth of 0.6m below PGL. While it yielded no dating evidence, it was sealed by what was interpreted as an occupation layer, consisting of sticky, brown clay with frequent shell fragments, charcoal and 18th-century pottery. This was recorded at the western end of the street on its northern side.
Linenhall Street, Trenches 14–17
A number of in situ archaeological features and deposits were recorded along the length of the eastern side of Linenhall Street. These included at least two phases of 18th-century cobbled surfaces. This material first occurred at a depth of 0.7m below PGL. Excavation was stopped at a depth of 1m below PGL.
Bridge Street, Trenches 21–24a
Test-trenches were excavated along the length of Bridge Street. While most of the test-trenches focused on the western side of the street, one trench was excavated across the full width of the street.
The excavation of Trenches 21–24a revealed archaeological features and deposits along the length of Bridge Street. These included the medieval cobbled surfaces recorded in all trenches, which were sealed by rich organic deposits up to 0.6m in depth. The archaeological horizons occurred at a depth of 0.7m below PGL.
Laurels Road, Trenches 18–20
Laurels Road runs along the projected line of the town defences. Test excavations in this area were designed to assess whether any evidence of the defences survives. The results of the testing indicated no evidence of the town defences. Stratigraphy along the length of the street was consistent with the accumulation of mixed clays and garden soils. Trench 20, at the northern end of Laurels Road, yielded the disarticulated remains of a least three infants, contained in a garden soil dating to the 17th–18th century. Local sources have indicated that this area was formerly used as burial-ground for unbaptised children.
8 Dungar Terrace, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
