County: Meath Site name: CASTLETOWNTARA
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 50:7 Licence number: 03E0256
Author: David J. O'Connor, CRDS Ltd.
Site type: Burnt spread and Burnt pit
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 690527m, N 760807m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.589314, -6.632641
Pre-development monitoring, testing and eventually excavation were undertaken at the site of the proposed waste treatment plant and outfall pipe at Castletowntara, Tara, Co. Meath, in April 2003. The development will involve substantial ground disturbance, in particular in the excavation of large underground tanks, as well as service roads and an outfall pipe to the River Skane. Features of possible archaeological significance were uncovered in two areas.
In Area 1, during the soil-strip, a small patch of charcoal was uncovered in the south-west corner of the site. The spread appeared to be 1.45m long and 0.5m wide. It proved to be no more than 20mm deep and was spread (quite lightly in places) over an area of 1.55m by 0.5m. The spread was pure charcoal and sat directly onto subsoil. There were no inclusions and no finds.
In Area 2, to the west of the site, a small pit-like feature, 1.2m by 1m, containing charcoal and burnt stone was uncovered. The cut had a sharp slope with a flat base and was 0.3m at its deepest. The northern edges of the pit were not as well defined as the other areas. The pit was filled with a black/grey deposit of hard compaction with a sandy and gritty texture, with burnt stone (100mm by 50mm in size) and large amounts of charcoal. No finds were recovered from the excavation.
Apart from these small features, nothing of archaeological significance was uncovered in the area of the development works.
Unit 4, Dundrum Business Park, Dundrum, Dublin 14.
