County: Louth Site name: Haggardstown, Dundalk
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 10E0054
Author: Gill McLoughlin, Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd, 120b Greenpark Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow.
Site type: Burnt mounds and pits
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 705718m, N 803913m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.973677, -6.388503
An assessment was undertaken in advance of a proposed residential development at Haggardstown, Dundalk, Co. Louth. This assessment was requested as further information by Louth County Council. A geophysical survey was carried out by J.M Leigh Surveys under licence 10R23. Testing took place over five days from 22 February 2010. A total of 40 test-trenches (totalling 2029 linear metres) were excavated across the proposed development area, which comprised a large field that was formerly under arable crop.
Five archaeological areas were identified as a result of this testing programme, two of which (Archaeological Areas 2 and 3) are situated on low-lying damp ground and are consistent with burnt-mound activity. The other three areas each consist of single pits which could potentially be associated with further features outside of the tested areas. No datable finds were recovered from any of the archaeological areas.
In addition to the archaeological areas, numerous linear ditches interpreted as boundary or drainage ditches were identified across the test area which corresponded with some of the linear responses identified in the geophysical survey.
