County: Meath Site name: Site 23 (Field 6), Portan
Sites and Monuments Record No.: n/a Licence number: 16E0337
Author: David Bayley, IAC Ltd
Site type: Pit
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 703897m, N 741909m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.417061, -6.437031
Monitoring of topsoil stripping associated with the development of a data centre at Clonee, Co. Meath commenced in December 2015 and is currently (September 2017) 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 field 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 (licence 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 23 was discovered during topsoil stripping in the footprint of attenuation pond ‘P1’ cetrally within the development area. The site comrpised a single pit which measured 1.48m x 1.08m x 0.15m and contained two fills. The upper fill was c. 0.05m deep and comprised mid-brown silty clay; the lower fill comprised black silty clay with frequent charcoal inclusions. Although numerous similar singular features are recorded in the wider development area none were located within 100m of Site 23.
IAC Ltd, Unit G1, Network Enterprise Park, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow
