County: Longford Site name: MULLAGH
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 09E0315
Author: Mandy Stephens, CRDS Ltd, Greenanstown, Stamullan, Co. Meath.
Site type: Medieval boundary ditch
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 611498m, N 775477m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.728831, -7.825750
Site 3, Mullagh, was located 1.95km west of Longford town. This was one of three sites identified in the townland along the route of the N5 Longford bypass.
Table 1: AMS results received to date (re Mullagh, No. 561). Sample
Licence No. Site Name Lab. No. Sample Type RCD
No.
13(Cal) 23(Cal)BP Date Date Date
1480–1640 1450–165009E314 Mullagh Site 2 Beta 265104 B36 Human Bone 330 ± 40
AD AD
1400–1430 1320–144009E314 Mullagh Site 2 Beta 265105 B53 Human Bone 530 ± 40
AD AD
1540–1660 1500–167009E314 Mullagh Site 2 Beta 265106 B56 Human Bone 270 ± 40
AD AD
The excavation revealed a section of a ditch which was also identified at Mullagh, Site 2 (see No. 561 above, 09E314), located a short distance north of this site. It has been interpreted as a medieval field boundary.
The ditch section exposed in the course of excavation was linear, oriented north-east/south-west and measured 9m by 0.86m by 0.38m. It was U-shaped in section and contained two fills, F10 and F6. Basal fill F10 was a deposit of grey/brown clayey silt which contained flecks of charcoal. This deposit was overlain by orange/brown clayey silt F6. The latter deposit contained moderate quantities of medium to large stones. There were no artefacts recovered from either fill.
Its estimated total length is 90m. Samples recovered from Site 2 were retrieved and processed to derive material suitable for dating and palaeobotanical assessment.
