2016:534 - Site 10 (Field 3), Clonee, Meath

Monitoring of topsoil stripping associated with the development of a data centre at Clonee, Co. Meath commenced in December 2015 and is currently ongoing. The site is situated c. 120m north of the village of Clonee in the townlands of Clonee, Portan and Gunnocks. The site comprised of 14 fields of pasture and 4 arable fields bound to the east by the River Pinkeen, which also forms the Meath-Dublin County boundary. Monitoring is being carried out under licence 15E0577, directed by David Bayley, in response to planning conditions attached to the development. Monitoring follows on from previous geophysical survey (licence 15R0005) and test-trenching with metal detection (licences 15E0109 and 15E0028).

Two burnt mound sites (Site 1 and 2) were identified as a result of these investigations which were subsequently excavated under licence 15E0583 by Paul Duffy in February and March 2016. A number of archaeological features have been identified during monitoring to date across the site for which separate licence numbers have been granted to undertake subsequent excavation.

Site 10 was identified in Field 3, on the boundary of Clonee and Portan townlands, during monitoring in February 2016. It was subsequently excavated in July 2016. The site comrpised three intercutting pits in an area that measured c. 1.6m x 0.75m. All three pits were filled with brownish grey clay and had moderate inclusions of charcoal. A linear ditch cut one of these pits, but this ditch was, in turn, cut by two later ditches.

Pit 1 measured c. 0.65m x 0.25m and was truncated by a ditch to south-west. Pit 2 measured c. 0.9m x 0.5m with a concentration of charcoal along the north-west side and extended into the baulk. Pit 3 measured c. 0.5m x 0.25m. It was truncated along its south-east side by the ditch and extended into the baulk. No diagnostic material or artefacts were retrieved from the pits that would indicate function or date.

IAC Ltd, Unit G1, Network Enterprise Park, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow