County: Louth Site name: DUNDALK: Former Dundalk Gasworks, Bridge Street
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 7:119 Licence number: 03E0244
Author: Robert O'Hara, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Modern (AD 1750-AD 2000)
ITM: E 704512m, N 806587m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.997947, -6.405954
An assessment was carried out at the site of a proposed residential and retail development within the historic town of Dundalk, on the site of a former gasworks. The site is a significant area enclosed by Bridge Street, Northgate Street and Linenhall Street.
The 1836 OS map shows a triangular area of land located to the south-east of Dundalk Bridge. In 1867, the OS map shows a gap in the triangular area on the earlier map which had been breeched by the construction and development of a gasworks and other structures. The development included the construction of two gasometers, a condenser, boiler, chimney and a building labelled 'meter and governor house', as well as other associated buildings. A large building, labelled 'Constabulary Barrack', to the south of the gasworks was knocked down in the 20th century to form North Gate Street.
Five test-trenches were excavated through the site. The trenches and overburden clearance indicated that the gasworks had completely removed any possible archaeological remains in the southern portion of the site. Testing in the less impacted-upon northern portion of the site did not reveal any archaeological remains. The overburden deposits were coloured black with bitumen and tar and all trenches became waterlogged due to groundwater. Trenches were between 1 and 2.5m deep. Nineteenth- and 20th-century glass and ceramics were noted in the overburden deposits but not collected.
Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth
