County: Monaghan Site name: MAGHERNACLOY
Sites and Monuments Record No.: MO034–026 Licence number: 04E0513 ext.
Author: Kieran Campbell, 6 St Ultans, Laytown, Drogheda.
Site type: Fortified house
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 685232m, N 797522m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.920048, -6.702455
Monitoring took place on 5 June 2007 during the excavation of trenches and a pit for service ducts associated with the refurbishment of Maghernacloy Castle. The monitoring arose from recommendations made in an assessment report by Franc Myles on the impact of the restoration on the standing structure (Myles 2007). Previously, under this licence, testing was carried out on the lines of proposed external underground services (Excavations 2004, No. 1368).
An irregular excavation, c. 1m by 0.6m and 1.35m deep, was made into the floor in the embrasure of the Georgian-period window in the north wall, east of the projecting stair tower. The excavation, through loose dry stony fill, narrowed to 0.8m by 0.4m at the base, where the western reveal of an opening at basement level was uncovered. The eastern reveal was not exposed in the small space at the base of the pit and is presumably still concealed under the infill, suggesting a width for the ope of a least 0.8m. A badly corroded ‘Bun’ type bronze halfpenny of Victoria, probably dated 1860, was recovered from the lower half of the fill.
Three trenches, 0.4m wide and 0.4m deep and with a total length of 15m, were excavated across the floor of the east room and lobby of the castle, the thin concrete surface having previously been removed. Similar loose infill material was encountered in all the trenches. Finds from the infill consisted of 24 mammal bones (including butchered cattle bones), 22 bird bones (probably domestic fowl), one oyster and one cockleshell. The bones represent food refuse brought in with the infill, presumably from somewhere close by, and could date to any period during the occupation of the castle. Curiously there were no finds of pottery or glass.
The excavations, very limited in scale, nevertheless confirmed that the basement, now present under only the east room and half of the lobby, originally extended over the entire ground plan of the castle. The coin, dated 1860, indicates that the eastern basement was filled in after that date.
Reference
Myles, F. 2007 Archaeological assessment of an ongoing development at Maghernacloy Castle, Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan. Report submitted to DEHLG and Monaghan County Council.
