County: Meath Site name: CARRANSTOWN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 02E1306 ext.
Author: Goorik Dehaene, for Arch Tech Ltd.
Site type: Excavation - miscellaneous
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 705362m, N 770566m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.674201, -6.405353
A programme of excavation was undertaken within the proposed westward extension of Platin Quarry in the townland of Carranstown, in north-east Co. Meath. A probable fulacht fiadh had been identified in the field inspection section of the cultural heritage report. Test excavation of this monument was completed in August 2002 (Excavations 2002, No. 1434, 02E1306).
The site is located to the west of the Irish Cement Ltd quarry at Platin, 5km to the south-west of Drogheda and 3km north-north-east of Duleek. The archaeological material extends over an extensive area of flat ground (maximum 120m east-west by 150m) at the foot of a north-west/south-east slope. Despite being traversed by several modern stone-filled drains, the area is prone to flooding. The excavation was conducted between December 2002 and February 2003 and 360ยบ tracked excavators employing toothless buckets were employed for the removal of all topsoil.
Disturbance of the topsoil was extensive. Modern agricultural activity has created frequent plough scars in the subsoil. Land reclamation and drainage work was extensive throughout the site.
Twelve features were recorded. They comprise five pits, four possible structures, one trough, one burnt spread (truncated) and one organic spread of limited archaeological potential.
Unstratified struck flint has been recovered from throughout the topsoil removed across the entire excavation area. A hollow scraper was recovered in the topsoil 15m east of Feature 4.
Glascarn, Ratoath, Co. Meath
