County: Louth Site name: Mullanstown 1
Sites and Monuments Record No.: LH014-043 Licence number: 13E0289
Author: Fintan Walsh
Site type: Early medieval ditches, kiln and burial
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 695275m, N 792088m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.869470, -6.551320
Mullanstown 1 was initially discovered during advance archaeological testing undertaken in 2002 by David Bailey (Licence Ref.: 02E1745). Stage (ii) pre-excavation services at Mullanstown 1 were carried out by Rubicon Heritage in 2012 (Licence Ref.: 12E373). Stage (iii) excavation at Mullanstown 1 was undertaken by IAC Ltd between 26 August and 6 September 2013.
Mullanstown 1 was located between 60m and 160m east-north-east of LH014-043, an early medieval cemetery enclosure. The excavated features at Mullanstown 1 (some of which were radiocarbon dated during the Stage (ii) works) comprised: a linear ditch (AD 442–543), a field boundary ditch (AD 601–662), a curvilinear ditch/gully (AD 425–550), a cereal-drying kiln, small pits, and an inhumation burial dating to AD 437–639. The isolated burial was aligned roughly west–east and is likely a peripheral burial contemporary with the burials identified in 2002 at the cemetery site.
IAC Ltd, Unit G1, Network Enterprise Park, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow
