2001:838 - CARLINGFORD: Dundalk Street, Louth

An assessment was carried out to the rear of a residential terrace property on the west side of Dundalk Street, Carlingford. One assessment trench was excavated by hand on 14 July 2001. The trench was excavated west–east from the standing building to the property wall at the rear. Walls and foundations of outbuildings to the rear of the main terrace building had been removed by hand prior to the assessment, resulting in a reduction of the yard surface immediately adjacent to the standing remains by up to 0.3m. The trench was 13.5m by 0.5m and extended to a maximum depth of 0.7m, revealing brick and stone rubble over a fairly homogeneous deposit of mid-brown gravelly clay subsoil.

Two limestone wall foundations were located 1.8m (F102) and 2.95m (F103) west of the standing building. F102 corresponded to a vertical wall scar of a former outhouse in the northern boundary wall of the site surviving to 0.3m in width and 0.5m in height, while F103 survived as 0.65m wide and 0.6m high. Both wall foundations were cut into subsoil and comprised moderate-sized limestone blocks and slabs bonded with concrete. The area between the standing building and wall F102 contained a disturbed deposit of mottled grey-brown gravelly clay surviving to a depth of 0.5m which overlay a large stone slab positioned at the base of wall F102, representing the former yard surface. Further excavation below this level was not necessary owing to proposed foundation levels for the extension. No deposits, features or finds of archaeological significance were revealed.

Unit 22, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth