County: Wicklow Site name: JOHNSTOWN BEACH, ARKLOW
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 09E085; 09D014; 09R046
Author: Rex Bangerter, The Archaeological Diving Company Ltd, Brehon House, Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny.
Site type: Upper foreshore/intertidal/subtidal
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 727013m, N 676799m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.827171, -6.115240
Intertidal and underwater assessment took place of a 50m (north–south) by 36m area of foreshore and a 10m (north–south) by 150m area of seabed, prior to a proposed cable lay for the EW1 Irish Sea Inter-connector landfall at Johnstown Beach, Arklow, Co. Wicklow.
Systematic visual inspection of the development area was undertaken and included a buffer zone that extended the assessment 100m either side of the foreshore section of the cable landfall and 30m either side of the subtidal section of the cable landfall. A metal-detection survey was also undertaken across a 50m by 30m area of seabed, providing a representative sample of target frequency across the subtidal zone. In addition, three sediment cores were extracted from the foreshore survey area (Auger points 1–3) and a probe survey was carried out along the centreline of the proposed cable lay (Probe points 1–13). No archaeologically significant material was encountered as part of the assessment.
