County: Westmeath Site name: KINNEGAD (Sites 10, 84, 98, 99, 100 and AE3)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 27:70 Licence number: 02E0104
Author: Eoin Corcoran, ACS Ltd.
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Modern (AD 1750-AD 2000)
ITM: E 659440m, N 745567m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.456810, -7.104996
The sites were tested on behalf of Westmeath County Council before the construction of the M4 Kinnegad–Enfield–Kilcock Motorway Scheme, Contract 1, after the completion of a topographical survey and on the recommendations in the archaeological section of the environmental impact assessment. The proposed motorway corridor near Sites 98 and 10 was tested by three trenches. Sites AE3, 100, 99 and 84 were tested by a trench on the centre-line of the proposed motorway, with six offset trenches to test individual sites or potential sites.
The area near Sites 98 and 10 appeared to be highly disturbed, with scatters of building rubble and metal on the field surface. The first of the test-trenches revealed a plough furrow, a post-medieval field drain and a large dump of modern material, including polystyrene, bricks and the occasional crisp packet. The second trench contained three cultivation furrows, and the third contained the same modern dump as found in the first trench. The centre-line and offset trenches revealed no archaeological deposits or features.
Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth
