2012:456 - CASTLEBOY, Meath

Test excavations were conducted as part of works undertaken by the OPW in conjunction with the National Monuments Service to facilitate universal access at the main entrance and the graveyard entrance at the Hill of Tara.
A series of trenches was hand excavated in order to accommodate new gate and fence posts. These were located to the south of the existing entrance and the graveyard entrance, where foundation pads for former fence posts and information plaques had caused some previous ground disturbance.
Four adjoining trenches were excavated to the south-west of the entrance. Trench 1 measured 5.92m north-east/south-west by 1.89m. Trenches 2 and 3 were south of and perpendicular to this. They were both 5.25m long and were 0.82m and 0.55m wide respectively. Trench 4 lay south of these and measured 7.9m north-south by 1.5m. These trenches were excavated to subsoil, orange clay that was 0.15-0.4m below present ground. The foundations of a north-east/south-west orientated wall were identified at the southern end Trench 4. This dry stone wall was cut by the modern access lane and its northern extent was uncovered in the trenches excavated on the eastern side of the entrance. The finds from these trenches were all recovered from topsoil and included sherds of post-medieval pottery and a struck flint.
A series of adjoining trenches was excavated in the grass margin on the eastern side of the entrance. The largest of these was 4.73m north-south by 0.5-1.22m. Three trenches south of and perpendicular to this each measured 2.2m by 0.6-0.72m. The remains of a metalled surface covered most of the area exposed in the trenches and extended beyond their eastern and southern limits. A single post-hole was revealed to the west of this surface, which was probably part of an earlier access route to the Hill of Tara. The eastern and southern extent of the metalled surface was sealed by loosely compacted mid grey/brown sandy clay that had regular mortar fragments and occasional pieces of animal bone. The remainder of the surface was overlaid with moderately compact brown gritty clay. These deposits were up to 0.15m deep and were sealed by re-deposited subsoil (008) which contained a sherd of medieval pottery. The northern extent of the wall foundation (004) was built on top of this deposit. A brick within the fabric of this wall indicates that it is post-medieval in date. At the northern end of the trench, adjacent to the entrance stile the deposit (008) was sealed by a cobbled surface that may be part of a road or associated path/lane.
A series of 16 foundation pits for the new metal fence and gate were excavated at the graveyard entrance. These pits ranged from 0.3m by 0.3m to 0.9m by 0.9m and were 0.3-0.7m deep. Natural ground (friable shale), was an average of 0.55m below existing ground. Concrete bases for former fence posts were revealed in three of the pits excavated to the west of the existing entrance. Several fragments of disarticulated human bone were recovered during the excavation of these foundation pits. A skull that may be part of an in situ burial was uncovered but was subsequently covered over and left undisturbed. Following analysis in the field by an osteologist, the bone fragments were re-interred at the base of one of the foundation pits within the graveyard area. Sherds of medieval pottery that included local and imported wares were recovered from graveyard soil in several of the foundation pits.

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