County: Meath Site name: NUGENTSTOWN (Testing Area 8)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 04E0919
Author: Jo Ronayne, Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd.
Site type: Habitation site
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 676688m, N 772895m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.700119, -6.838631
An assessment was carried out in advance of the planned M3 Clonee–North of Kells PPP scheme, Co. Meath, on the Navan–Kells and N52 Kells bypass (Contract 4) between July and October 2004. This section of the scheme is c. 11km long from the townland of Ardbraccan, north of Navan, to the townland of Cakestown Glebe, north of Kells. 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 fourteen testing areas. The assessment methodology generally consisted of mechanically excavating 2mwide test-trenches along the centre-line and perpendicular to the centre-line 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.
Testing Area 8 is located in the townland of Nugentstown, between Chainages 67000 and 67350; 4078m2 of the total 12,072.38m2 within this area was test-trenched, providing a testing coverage of 33.78%.
The testing revealed one area of archaeological potential, designated Nugentstown 1. It consisted of a number of groups of features, including two curvilinear features, interpreted as possible foundation trenches, two concentrations of pits and post-holes and a hearth, and two oval pits, possibly representing outlying activity away from the main area. These features may represent the remains of a possible habitation site.
8 Dungar Terrace, Dœn Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
