County: Louth Site name: SITE 135, TATEETRA
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: A010/001
Author: Avril Hayes, Aegis Archaeology Ltd, 16 Avondale Court, Corbally, Limerick.
Site type: Souterrain
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 702516m, N 809834m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.027505, -6.435302
This unrecorded site was identified during monitoring for the M1/Dundalk western bypass (see No. 1069 above, 04E0335). The souterrain was exposed, recorded and partially excavated. Capstones were removed and the interior was excavated and recorded. The walls were left in situ. The passages were filled with gravel and the capstones were replaced.
The souterrain is drystone-built with a total length of 70m incorporating four galleries and two circular chambers. Structural features include a drop hole, a step, a wall niche, an air-vent, three sumps/wells, one pit, and two doorways featuring interior locking arrangements. Three decorated capstones were recovered from the excavation, one featuring megalithic art and two cross-inscribed slabs. Associated finds included a copper-alloy stick pin, a perforated bead and fragments of pottery.
Nine capstones (including the three featuring decoration) were retained by Dundalk Museum.
