County: Meath Site name: Donore
Sites and Monuments Record No.: - Licence number: 06E0247
Author: Eoin Halpin and Nicola Rohan, ADS Ltd, Windsor House, 11 Fairview Strand, Fairview, Co. Dublin.
Site type: Pit
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 706041m, N 773820m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.703301, -6.393964
The site was discovered during monitoring of topsoil-stripping along the route of the proposed south–north gas pipeline to be constructed by Bord Gáis Éireann. The site was located in Field 5 at Road Crossing 12 (12F05) in the townland of Donore, Co. Meath.
Archaeological investigations were conducted over a period of one week in April 2006. The site occupied an area measuring 13m north–south by 10m. The remains on the site were composed of a single pit. The feature was located on the eastern edge of the site; it was regular in plan, measuring 1.02m in length, 0.2m in width and 0.06–0.3 m in depth with a concave base. The feature fill was moderately compact dark-grey silty clay with moderate amounts of charcoal and small heat-shattered stone inclusions. No finds were recovered from the site.
The absence of features and finds from the site make it difficult to establish its function or date. It is possible that associated features are located beyond the pipeline corridor, while the presence of heat-shattered stones suggests an association with a fulacht fiadh or burnt mound. Post-excavation work is ongoing and specialist macrobotanical, microbotanical and radiocarbon analyses will provide additional information regarding the function and date of the site.
