2004:1318 - RANDALSTOWN, Meath

This excavation was undertaken as part of the development of the final stage of the tailings dam extension scheme (Stage 4) at Tara Mines, in an area referred to as the 'Northern Borrow Area', as part of the vertical expansion of the existing tailings facility. All of the sites (Sites 1–7) had been uncovered by Kieran Campbell during monitoring (Excavations 2003, No. 1448, 03E0666). Excavation was undertaken on Sites 6 and 7 and portions of Sites 1 and 4 between 23 September and 12 November 2004.

The area surrounding these sites has been under development since the 1970s and the surrounding area had been stripped of topsoil. Sites 4, 6 and 7, on the eastern side of the northern borrow area, were situated at the northern end of a large field. This field was higher at the northern end and sloped down to the south and west to a low-lying area associated with tributaries on the River Blackwater. Site 7A and B was situated on the western side of a low sloping ridge that extends around the northern perimeter of the field. At the north-eastern end of the ridge was Site 4, with Site 4A situated on the top of the ridge at the edge of the slope and Site 4C on the slope to the east. Both these sites took advantage of naturally drained higher ground, on the edge of an area of poorly drained wetland. Site 4B was situated on the slope of this ridge towards the base. By comparison, Site 6 was located downslope of Site 7 on the edge of the wetland area. Site 1, on the western side of the borrow area, is located on a fairly level terrace of well-drained ground.

Site 6
Excavation revealed two troughs upslope on the north-western side of the accumulated burnt mound, which measured 9.25m (north-south) by 13.75m and 0.03-0.2m deep. An underlying deposit of redeposited clay may have related to the construction of either or both troughs. These troughs were 1m apart and were not stratigraphically linked. The smaller western trough measured 1.7m by 1.3m by 0.34m deep and was roughly oval in shape. It contained a single homogenous fill of coarse-grained dark-greyish-black silty clay with frequent inclusions of scorched and degraded sandstone. The larger eastern trough, which appears to have remained in use for longer, was subcircular in plan with a bowl-shaped profile and was c. 2.15m in diameter and c. 0.3–0.35m deep. Two poorly preserved timbers on the north-eastern side of the trough was the only evidence of possible lining. The primary fill was a charcoal-rich deposit of heat-affected and burnt stone with organic silty clay. This only partially filled the trough and was overlain with a deposit of silty clay associated with the subsequent abandonment of the site. There was no apparent variation or phasing evident in the composition of the mound, which was an irregular oval deposit of stone within a matrix of charcoal-rich silt and clay. The stones, almost all of which were burnt or heat-affected, were small in size and high proportions were decayed. In general terms the mound was quite shallow and had been disturbed by later episodes of agricultural activity in the area. The only associated feature was a further small, roughly circular, pit, c. 11.5m to the north-east, which was filled by fulacht-type material. No artefacts were recovered from any of these features or from the mound of burnt stone.

Site 7A and B
At Site 7A, the excavation uncovered four shallow linear trenches, orientation roughly east-west, within a 192m2 area. In the north, two short lengths of slot-trenches formed a discontinuous line only 0.2m apart. The north-easterly trench, 0.71m by 2.8m and 0.27m deep, had a regular cut with straight, well-defined sides and a slightly concave base. The primary fill was mid-orange/brown sandy silt with a small amount of dispersed charcoal and some burnt bone, with later material present at the western end. The southwesterly slot-trench, 2.6m by 0.65m and 0.13m deep, had been significantly truncated by later ploughing activity but was similar in form to the aforementioned slot. It was predominantly filled by dark-greyishbrown clayey silt with frequent charcoal flecks, occasional burnt bone and burnt sandstone, with an underlying shallow deposit of sandy silt in the base.

Approximately 4.2m to the south were two shorter slot-trenches, similarly aligned although orientated with a slightly curvilinear form and situated 1.2m apart. The eastern trench was oriented parallel to the similarly long slot-trench to the north, whereas the western one was orientated east-west (1.16m by 0.58m and 0.16m deep). This concave feature was filled by dark-blackish-brown clayey silt with frequent charcoal and burnt sandstone inclusions, as well as occasional burnt bone and an animal tooth. The easterly slot-trench, 2.95m by 0.84m and 0.16m deep, was again similar in form and was filled with a dark-blackish-brown silty clay with frequent charcoal and burnt sandstone pieces, as well as occasional burnt bone. These features were clearly truncated and bisected by later agricultural activity, which may have entirely removed some material. While these features appeared to represent a structure, there were no features, such as post- or stake-holes, to suggest that they represented a substantial structure and no evident finds to indicate a date.

Excavation within Site 7B revealed a series of three stake-holes, five post-holes, two post-pits and four larger pits. There was no clear evidence of structure or phasing to these features, apart from one double post-hole, and one of the pits respected a post-hole, indicating that those features were contemporary. The features formed a V-shaped arrangement, with the double post-hole forming the apex to the south, and some of the features located within this area to the north. The post-holes ranged in size from 0.2 by 0.35–0.5m in diameter and 0.17–0.22m deep with a range of fairly sterile fills. On the south-eastern side of the site were two post-pits (0.58–0.59m in diameter). One of these was lined with finely split packing stones and contained a single struck flint flake and the other contained thirteen pieces of worked flint, a chip of polished stone axe and some burnt bone. The pits were all located north of these features and were irregularly sub-oval in form (0.7–1.05m by 1.5–1.67m and 0.26–0.43m deep); all contained relatively small amounts of charcoal and burnt bone. While there was no clear indication of the form or function of these features, they may form the truncated remains of a larger structure, may have been associated with ancillary activity outside the area of the structure in Site 7A or may relate to a separate phase of Neolithic activity in the area.

Site 4A–C
Excavation was carried out on the southern extent of this site (Site 4B and 4C). Site 4A, to the north, was not excavated, but further testing was carried out to clarify the extent of archaeological material. This portion of the site was demarcated for excavation at a future date. Excavation of the other portions of the site revealed a series of small pits of probable industrial function and a 'working surface' in Site 4B and a series of sterile drains and ditches in Site 4C.

With the mitigation of Site 4B, the excavated features were disparate features with three interrelated pits centrally located. Two of these small irregular pits (1.06–1.3m by 0.66–1m and 0.24–0.3m deep) were filled with a homogenous deposit of charcoal-rich sandy clay with frequent burnt stones. A narrow and shallow V-shaped gully ran downhill from the western pit and into a smaller bowl-shaped pit (0.48m diameter, 0.18m deep). There were no artefacts, industrial waste or signs of in situ burning, although regular ploughing may have removed the latter. Located 5m to the south-west was a shallow deposit of dispersed charcoal-rich material and some burnt stone within a shallow natural depression. This may have formed a working surface associated with the pits. In addition, there was an isolated pit to the south-west containing silty clay with burnt bone, and a similar pit was found to the north. These features seem unrelated and distinct from the other activity in this area but are most likely to be prehistoric in date, based on the form and nature of the deposits.

Four linear features were encountered at Site 4C, of which the earliest was a slightly curvilinear gully, traceable for c. 20m north-east/south-west. Traces of a lazy bed trench cut part of that feature. The other features consisted of a north-west/south-east ditch (1.1m wide) and an east-west-oriented ditch, and a further ditch (1.75m wide by 0.7m deep) was traced for c. 8m north-south. These features had sterile files and were associated with the later agricultural phase of activity evident in the area.

Site 1
Excavation at Site 1 consisted of the resolution of eight isolated features, with no statigraphic association, at the southern limit of the site. The larger unexcavated portion of the site, in the northern area of the field, consisted of a series of grouped and some further isolated features. Some of these features were linear, suggesting possible house structures (Campbell 2004, 6). In the initial monitoring, pieces of burnt bone were evident in some of the features and one piece of prehistoric pottery was also recovered.

The excavated features consisted of a series of four small sub-oval pit features (0.5–1.6m by 0.38–0.9m, 0.7–0.28m deep), some of which contained charcoal and one of which also contained burnt bone, a tree bole and three small deposits (0.28–1.05m by 0.24–0.6m, 0.07–0.14m deep) of dark-grey silty clay, one of which contained a single burnt stone. The shallow nature of the majority of the excavated pits and the deposits was the result of subsequent agricultural activity, as evidenced by a number of plough furrows. A piece of burnt flint and retouched flint, two pieces of post-medieval pottery and a piece of glass were recovered from topsoil overlying these deposits.

Reference
Campbell, K. 2004. Report on archaeological monitoring at Randalstown, Co. Meath, on behalf of Tara Mines Ltd. Unpublished report commissioned by Tara Mines Ltd under planning ref. no. 96/919 and carried out under excavation licence 03E0666.

Unit 6, Dundrum Business Park, Dublin 18