2017:661 - DUNDALK: Marshes Upper, Louth

A test excavation was carried out at the site of a proposed IDA development at lands in Marshes Upper, Dundalk, Co. Louth. The site covers an approximate area of 1.4 hectares and is surrounded by industrial units in an area south of Dundalk town.

A total of 5 trenches were mechanically excavated across the site. Topsoil was quite uniform, 0.3–0.5m across the area, subsoil was compact orange-yellow sandy clay with frequent angular stones and shale outcrops. A single archaeological site was recorded in Trench no. 3. It consisted of a series of pits and a curvilinear feature with charcoal-rich fills forming a semi-circular arc with several external post- and stake-holes. The external diameter was 6.5m and it is tentatively identified, at this stage, as the remains of a possible structure. No datable artefacts were identified.