2006:1628 - RATHMULLAN, Meath

Excavations took place at the IDA Drogheda Business Park, Rathmullan, Co. Meath, in August–September 2006. This followed a programme of assessment and a phase of excavation of Areas A–D by Finola O’Carroll (Excavations 2002, Nos 1508–1511, 02E0183, 02E1265, 02E1267 and 02E1269). Area A revealed a series of pits and post-holes and a backfilled watercourse. Area B had a pit containing Neolithic pottery, a series of pits, hearths and a pit/sump containing a wooden handle. Area C revealed a semicircular triple-walled structure, a trough with associated stake-holes and a series of burnt stone and charcoal spreads. Area D contained a post-medieval structure, a cottage which was present on the first-edition OS map of the area. The 2006 excavations revealed a series of pits and burnt-stone deposits, along with a disused watercourse.

Area E measured 36m east–west by 28m. The area was marked by a north-west/south-east watercourse which was indicated pre-excavation by a wide band of silt cutting through the boulder clay. This feature was 7.5m in width and up to 0.4m in depth and had been truncated by the east–west field boundary that is present on the 1840 OS map. It had been truncated by two east–west field drains and was filled by a series of silt deposits ranging from orange/brown to grey in colour. The antiquity of this feature is unclear. It clearly pre-dates the post-medieval field boundaries and was detected during test-trenching both to the east and west of the excavated area. A number of post-medieval artefacts were found in the upper deposits. To the west of the excavated area this silt build-up became far deeper and it was clear that considerable amounts of colluvial material had accumulated from the flooding of this watercourse prior to the insertion of drains. It was notable during wet weather that the ground visibly moved with the movement of machinery, demonstrating the waterlogged nature of the ground.

A series of archaeological features were excavated in the south-west of the area, 3m from the watercourse.

A spread of fire-cracked limestone and charcoal-rich soil was located, measuring 3m east–west by 2.6m by 0.13m in depth. This overlay natural boulder clay. A small oval pit, 1.24m by 0.8m by 0.2m in depth, was located immediately 2m south-west of a burnt-stone spread. It was filled with burnt-stone deposits in a charcoal-rich matrix. A large pit (F18), 1.9m by 1.65m by 1m in depth, was located 6m south of the burnt stone. This waterhole cut below the water table and contained heavily waterlogged deposits that included frequent charcoal flecks and lumps, decayed wood and reeds. It had a shelf on its northern and eastern sides and a deeper hollow at its base on the southern side.

A further substantial oval pit (F16), 1.74m by 1.18m by 0.84m, was located immediately west of F18. This was filled by alternating deposits of burnt stone in charcoal-rich sandy clay and grey/orange compact sandy clays.

A further small pit, 0.52m by 0.64m by 0.16m, was excavated 3m north-west of the large waterhole F18. This was filled by dark-brown sandy silt with frequent burnt stone and charcoal. Finally, a further small pit was excavated 2.5m to the west of F18. It was filled by dark-grey silty clay with frequent burnt stone and charcoal.

Area F measured 17.5m east–west by 14m. A total of seven features were uncovered. These comprised an arc of seven shallow ephemeral hollows. A second pit was uncovered to the north-east. The area comprised dry, relatively level ground, with ploughsoil overlying boulder clay.

No artefacts of antiquity were recovered during excavations. A programme of radiocarbon dating is under way and it is expected that the majority of the pits will be shown to be of Bronze Age date.

Unit 8, Dundrum Business Park, Dundrum, Dublin