County: Down Site name: WARRENPOINT HARBOUR
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: —
Author: Frank Mallon, Vincent McClorey and Dermot Reihill, Archaeological Development Services Ltd, Unit 6, Old Channel Road, Belfast, BT3 9DE.
Site type: Marine
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 714123m, N 818117m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.099467, -6.255106
Monitoring was carried out, commissioned by the Anthony Bates Partnership on behalf of the Warrenpoint Harbour Authority, on capital dredging works in relation to improvements in Carlingford Lough, from 3 February 2009 to 5 March 2009. The site is located within the area of Warrenpoint Harbour, Co. Down. The proposed development concerned the construction of a breakwater extension, new berth and turning circle contained within an area c. 430m north–south by 430m.
A search of the shipwreck inventory of Ireland and the Maritime Records held by the NIEA showed that a total of 256 vessels had been lost or damaged within Carlingford Lough from the 18th century onwards.
An amount of modern debris was recovered, such as car and tractor tyres, bottles, glass and wood. Such material was not surprising, given the traffic which passes through the harbour and the quay on a daily basis. A small assemblage of archaeological finds was recovered from the dredging works. These finds included a small sherd of post-medieval blue-andwhite pottery and two anchors. The first anchor was identified as a modern stockless 20th-century anchor. The second anchor, however, was dated to the 17th– 18th century. While it is unknown from which ship it came, it is possible, given the anchor’s late 17thcentury date, to suggest a tenuous link to the number of Williamite ships which used Carlingford Lough during the Wars of Succession.
