County: Louth Site name: Whiteriver landfill site, Gunstown
Sites and Monuments Record No.: - Licence number: 04E0601 ext.
Author: Franc Myles, Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd, 27 Merrion Square, Dublin 2.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 701376m, N 785632m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.810336, -6.460714
The work here involved a programme of monitoring and supervision which took place at the site of the proposed Phase 1V, Stage 2, extension to a large landfill site.
The ongoing development has involved the extension of the Whiteriver landfill into pastureland to the east and south of the existing landfill facility and the construction of eight new engineered cells contained by a large earthen bund. The most recent stage of the expansion (Phase 1V, Stage 1), involving the construction of Cells 1 and 2, was completed in 2004. An area of archaeological potential was uncovered during monitoring by Teresa Bolger south-west of the then existing site (Excavations 2004, No. 1128, 04E0601). This area was subsequently investigated and surveyed by Cia McConway (Excavations 2004, No. 1129, 04E1531), prior to reinstatement and preservation in situ in 2005.
The stage of expansion under discussion involved the erection of a new earthen bund to contain all the existing and proposed cells. The southern side of the proposed bund impacted directly on the site of the preserved archaeological material from 2005. This monitoring programme incorporated the supervision of work in this area so as to prevent any potential damage to the underlying features.
The Phase 1V, Stage 2, earth-moving contract involved the stripping of topsoil to provide a formation level for the bund and the removal of a temporary stockpile of material from within the area under construction.
Monitoring of the removal of topsoil across the development area took place between September 2006 and January 2007 and nothing further of an archaeological nature was recorded.
