2009:656 - BREWS HILL, NAVAN, Meath

The site was subject to a geophysical survey, test-trenching and monitoring prior to, and during, the+construction phase of a retail store on behalf of Aldi Ltd. The site previously+ formed a portion of GAA playing grounds adjacent to the Brews Hill road, and is adjacent to Pairc Tailteann, the Co. Meath GAA grounds. Although the test excavation did not yield any archaeological features, monitoring of the site was considered necessary as a consequence of the numerous anomalies recovered in the geophysical report. The test excavation demonstrated that significant quantities of gravel/construction rubble were laid in the modern era, and that the anomalies were best explained by variations in the gravel spread. The subsequent monitoring confirmed this hypothesis and no further archaeological investigations were necessary.
In the early 19th century the site was occupied by a series of mud cabins, with rear allotments, facing the road. The cabins disappeared by the 1880s, a consequence of the catastrophic effects of the Famine on the poorer inhabitants of the town.