County: Louth Site name: Lacknagreagh
Sites and Monuments Record No.: LH006–022 Licence number: 08E0003
Author: Carmel Duffy, Umberstown Great, Summerhill, Co. Meath.
Site type: Souterrain, possible
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 695961m, N 808233m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.014390, -6.535815
In a townland survey published in the County Louth Archaeological Journal 1931, Rev. P. Corcoran, the local parish priest, recorded that ‘about 50 years ago in the course of ploughing a flag was struck. When this flag was removed the workman saw it covered a souterrain’ at Lacknagreagh, Dundalk. Rev. Corcoran surmised that the souterrain was a continuation of another better-documented souterrain in adjoining Carrickalust townland (LH006–023), although the distance between them was at least 150m.
The field with the souterrain, Rev. Corcoran’s ‘Field 8’, is now divided into three parts. The western part had previously been tested (Excavations 2006, No. 1379, 06E0339). The current licence was issued for a development on the centre site and testing took place in January 2008. The investigation recorded topsoil overlying natural stony clay subsoil, with no evidence for a souterrain or any associated settlement material such as might be expected. The possibility remains that the souterrain is located in the remaining third part of the field, assuming that Rev. Corcoran’s information was correct.
