County: Meath Site name: JOHNSTOWN (Testing Area 15)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 04E0476
Author: Eamonn Cotter, for Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd.
Site type: Enclosure, Pit and Metalworking site
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 696046m, N 750680m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.497353, -6.552412
An assessment was carried out in advance of the planned M3 Clonee–North of Kells PPP scheme, Co. Meath, on the Clonee–Dunshaughlin section (Contract 1) between February and June 2004. This section of the scheme consists of c. 14.2km of motorway and a further c. 14km of link roads and additional side roads. The EIS recommended testing any known or possible sites identified and Meath County Council further proposed to test the whole of the remainder of the route. For the purposes of testing, this section was divided into 26 testing areas. The assessment methodology generally consisted of mechanically excavating a 2m-wide test-trench along the centre-line, with perpendicular trenches extending to the edge of the land-take every 20m. The work was carried out on behalf of Meath County Council, the National Roads Design Office and the National Roads Authority.
A total of 74 test-trenches were excavated in Testing Area 15. The assessment was carried out between 29 March and 6 April 2004. Three areas of archaeological significance were identified, designated as Johnstown 1, 2 and 3.
Johnstown 1 was located near the south-eastern end of Plot 160D. It comprised what seems to be a circular enclosure, of which c. 40% lies within the road-take, and, some 50m to the north-east, a large pit with associated smaller pits/post-holes containing material similar to that found in fulachta fiadh. The enclosure comprised a shallow ditch enclosing an area c. 50m in diameter. The ditch measured 1.52m wide at the surface and c. 1m deep. It was also visible on the surface as a shallow depression continuing between the trenches and outside the road-take.
Johnstown 2 was located at the north-western end of Plot 159A and comprised four discrete areas of burning, one of which was a pit containing metal slag, which together seemed to represent an area of industrial activity, probably iron smelting.
Johnstown 3 was the third area of archaeological significance. It was located near the northern end of Plot 159B and comprised a narrow 4.3m-long band of burnt soil containing charcoal and occasional fragments of burnt bone.
Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth
