County: Louth Site name: DUNDALK: Dundalk Garda Station
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 03E1006
Author: Robert O'Hara, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd.
Site type: Prison
Period/Dating: Modern (AD 1750-AD 2000)
ITM: E 704031m, N 806513m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.997378, -6.413314
The project involved the redevelopment of Dundalk Garda Station, formerly the town gaol, constructed between 1845 and 1853 by John Neville. The building is located just outside the zone of archaeological potential for Dundalk and is included in the List of Protected Structures by Dundalk Town Council.
The prison was the subject of a Closing Order in 1931 as the Free State government attempted to increase the economy and efficiency of the prison system. Although Dundalk Gaol was the only prison operating in County Louth, it was closed and all remaining prisoners were transported to Mountjoy Prison in Dublin.
All ground reduction within the environs of the development was monitored. A cellar feature of 19th-century date was uncovered and recorded within the northern yard, as development necessitated its partial removal.
Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth