County: Louth Site name: Mullaghattin
Sites and Monuments Record No.: LH008-116---- Licence number: 15E0375
Author: Aidan O'Connell
Site type: Ringfort
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 718291m, N 807680m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.004785, -6.195494
An excavation was carried out at a ringfort in advance of a quarry extension at Mullaghattin, Co. Louth. The site was initially identified by analysis of aerial photography and its presence confirmed by geophysical survey and test trench assessment (08E0557). Excavation of the site revealed a sub-rectangular earthen enclosure with a causewayed entrance at the north-east. The north-western side of the enclosure ditch was located on the brow of a substantial natural slope. In this area, the natural slope appears to have been modified by scarping, leading to the creation of a shallow ditch. The scarped material was then banked on the internal side of the ditch. Localised concentrations of bank material were recorded on the western side of the site. A sample of hazel charcoal collected from the bank material was dated to AD 770 940 (D-AMS 014560, 1185±24 BP). Elsewhere the ditch was a more conventional and more narrow cut feature with no surviving bank material. The ditch fill was largely sterile, although some localised charcoal concentrations were noted. One of these contained numerous sherds of souterrain ware and a sample of hazel charcoal was dated to AD 678 865 (D-AMS 014561; 1249±23 BP). No archaeological material was recorded on the interior of the enclosure.
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