County: Louth Site name: MULLAGHTEE
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 9:1 Licence number: 02E0784 ext.
Author: Shane Delaney, IAC Ltd.
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Modern (AD 1750-AD 2000)
ITM: E 721324m, N 809867m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.023724, -6.148380
The proposed development fell within 20m of a castle in ruins in the townland of Mullaghtee, on the Cooley Peninsula. The site was initially tested by Tim Coughlan (No. 1355, Excavations 2002). Monitoring took place on 12 and 13 August 2002 using a 12-tonne mechanical excavator fitted with a flat, toothless bucket. Monitoring concentrated on the area of the proposed development to the south of the monument.
The area monitored comprised uneven ground with a natural raised area to the south-west of the development. This sloped to the east and the north-east, where the ground had been built up with rubble, including mortar, slate and red brick, to level it. The fill material was c. 0.4m deep and sealed natural sand and gravel deposits. Mixed throughout this material were sherds of post-medieval pottery, including blackware, willow pattern and geometric-patterned china. A clay-pipe bowl was found at the base of the fill material.
A stone-lined culvert was exposed running diagonally south-west/north-east across the site. This was cut into the raised area of natural geology to the south-west of the development. The culvert then cut through the built-up mortar-and-rubble deposit to the central and north-eastern area of the site. The map search indicated that a stream was channelled into this culvert in the 19th century. Generally the topsoil and fill deposit were 0.3–0.7m deep over the natural geology.
To the west of the site an organic-rich feature was exposed. This measured c. 7m across and contained the same range of pottery displayed in the rubble material to the east; it also contained some shell and bone. This corresponds with a linear gully marked at this position on the second-edition (1867) OS map and may represent a soak/drainage pit associated with the construction of the culvert. This will not be affected by the development.
Nothing of archaeological significance was noted during subsurface works on the development, and no archaeological objects were uncovered during groundworks.
8 Dungar Terrace, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
