County: Meath Site name: CARRANSTOWN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 04E0714
Author: Ellen O'Carroll, The Archaeology Company
Site type: Burnt spread and Pit
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 705559m, N 771349m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.681198, -6.402101
Archaeological investigations in the townland of Carranstown, 2km north of Duleek, Co. Meath, were carried out from 18 to 27 May 2004. The area will be an extension of the existing quarry and will be blasted to retrieve limestone used in the cement-making process, which takes place at Irish Cement Ltd's Platin cement factory to the north-east of Carranstown. Cultural heritage reports (Johnston and Baker 2001), a geophysical survey (02R0119), testing (Excavations 2002, No. 1434, 02E1306; No. 1435, 02E1586; Excavations 2003, No. 1367, 03E0789), monitoring (Excavations 2003, No. 1367, 02E1716, 02E1716 ext. 1) and several excavations (Excavations 2002, No. 1434, 02E1306; Excavations 2003, No. 1378, 03E0264; No. 1381, 03E0465; No. 1368, 03E1747; No. 1381, 03E0790) have all been undertaken in the past few years in areas to the south and south-west of the development site, which have yielded information on prehistoric and medieval activity.
Under this licence, the site was divided into five small sites. These consisted of four charcoal spreads (Sites 1–3 and 8) and a curvilinear feature (Site 7). Sites 1 and 2 were discounted during investigation, as Site 1 was a tree bole and Site 2 was destroyed by track marks. Site 3 was found to comprise six smaller separate archaeological features. Finds included prehistoric pottery and worked flint. Site 7, the curvilinear ditch, is also prehistoric, containing bone, pottery, flint and a possible amber bead within its fills. Site 8 was a shallow pit. The artefacts retrieved during the investigations suggest a definite prehistoric date for the excavated archaeological remains.
References
Dehaene, G. and MacDomhnaill, B. 2003 Preliminary report on archaeological excavation at site proposed extension, Platin Works Quarry, Cruicerath, Co. Meath. Unpublished report. Arch-Tech.
Dehaene, G. and Kjellberg, A. 2004 Preliminary report on archaeological excavation at site proposed extension, Platin Works Quarry, Cruicerath, Co. Meath. Unpublished report. Arch-Tech.
Johnston, S. and Baker, C. 2001 Cultural heritage section of Platin Quarry extension environmental impact statement.
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