2008:846 - Haynestown, Louth

Testing was carried out on the site of a proposed mixed-use development at Haynestown, Haggards-town, Dundalk, Co. Louth, over two days from 25 April 2008, under an extension to the original testing licence. Additional testing was required in order to establish the full nature and extent of potential archaeological features uncovered in an area partially restricted by power lines during the initial phase of testing in 2005 (Excavations 2005, No. 1078).
During the initial testing within Sector 3 stones were uncovered in one of the trenches at the top of a low rise but due to the presence of overhead power lines it was not possible to further investigate this area at the time. While a section of a ditch in this area produced a sherd of blackware from its fill, it was thought that there was a slight possibility that the stones could be an indication of a souterrain that was uncovered close to this area during road-widening works on the N1 roadway in 1975.
A number of linear ditches, drains and furrows were identified as a result of the additional test-trenches in this area, mostly oriented north-west/south-east, which appeared to be modern in date. Sections excavated across these features produced various finds including modern pottery, glass and red-brick fragments along with animal bone and seashells. A number of pits were also investigated and found to contain similar inclusions.
The deposit of stones identified during the initial phase of testing were found to be associated with a shallow dump of mixed soil with inclusions of stone, red brick and mortar and is thought to be modern in date.