County: Meath Site name: RATHTROANE
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 05E0627
Author: Rosanne Meenan
Site type: Enclsoure
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 680143m, N 785665m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.814332, -6.783004
The site is located across the road from SMR 48:14, described in the Archaeological inventory of County Meath as a ‘trivallate ringfort’, although it is also possible that it is an Anglo-Norman ringwork. Another monument is marked on the constraint map on the same side of the road as the proposed development. This is described as an ‘earthwork site’ in the Inventory, as a circular cropmark with a diameter of c. 25m. It was photographed by St Joseph. There is an unoccupied L-shaped house, probably 19th-century, standing on the proposed development site, along with some sheds.
Five trenches were excavated with a 3-ft toothless bucket on a small tracked machine. Archaeological features were exposed in two of them. In Trench 2 a small portion of a possible ditch was exposed, at the northernmost end of the trench closest to the public road. It possibly related to the ringwork, although it could also have related to the period of use of the farmhouse. In Trench 3, a spread of burnt clay was exposed c. 0.7m below present ground level, at the bottom of the topsoil/garden soil layer. No other features were associated with it and there were no finds.
Roestown, Drumree, Co. Meath
