County: Louth Site name: Mounthamilton
Sites and Monuments Record No.: - Licence number: 06E0564
Author: Sinéad Phelan, Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd, 27 Merrion Square, Dublin 2.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 703032m, N 806361m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.996213, -6.428608
An assessment was carried out on 22 and 23 June 2006 in advance of a planning application for a major residential development proposed for a large area of farmland located on the south-western outskirts of Dundalk town, within the townland of Mounthamilton. The assessment was based on field-walking and an environmental impact statement which highlighted the existence of three fulachta fiadh sites listed within the proposed development footprint (LH007–063 and LH007–064(01–03)). A geophysical survey by Joanna Leigh (06R0093) was carried out to determine the extent of the archaeology in these areas. No fulachta fiadh were exposed within the proposed development, despite intensive survey and testing in the area.
Seventeen test-trenches were mechanically excavated to a depth ranging from 1.1 to 2.5m across the proposed development area. These trenches were excavated in specific locations in order to investigate anomalies identified on the geophysical survey. These anomalies were exposed as modern land drains or natural features. No features of archaeological significance were identified during this archaeological assessment.
