County: Meath Site name: Site 5 (Field 2), Gunnocks
Sites and Monuments Record No.: n/a Licence number: 16E0038
Author: Paul Duffy, IAC Ltd
Site type: Pits
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 704517m, N 741794m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.415905, -6.427746
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 5 was identified during monitoring within the route of a haul road in Field 2, Gunnocks, in January 2016. The features comprised two pits and three non-archaeological tree-boles. Pit 1 measured 1.2m x 0.65m x 0.15m. Pit 2 measured 1.1m x 0.45m. Both pits were cut into the subsoil and were filled with a similar light grey heavy clay which contained frequent fragments and flecks of charcoal. Additional stripping of the topsoil within the vicinity of these features indicated no further archaeological features within its proximity.
IAC Ltd, Unit G1, Network Enterprise Park, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow
