County: Meath Site name: Dunshaughlin
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 17E0194
Author: Rosanne Meenan
Site type: Vicinity of monastic site
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 696899m, N 752518m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.513701, -6.538997
The site is located in a field to the south of the church (St. Secundinius’/St. Seachnall’s) (ME044-033002) that stands within the surviving traces of the monastic enclosure at the north end of Dunshaughlin village.
A geophysical survey (consent no. 17R0037) of site was carried out in March 2017 by Irish Geophysical and Archaeological Surveys. The results did not show firm evidence for archaeological material but some anomalies were shown that might have represented traces of such material. A main sewerage trench (running north-south) had been inserted in the field, possibly in the late 1990s.
Six north-south trenches were excavated, primarily on the footprint of the proposed eight houses. Segments of a shallow east-west trench was exposed in the northern ends of three of the test trenches. This was approx. 3m wide at its uppermost level and was bottomed at about 0.8m below the lowest level of the sod. No finds were recovered from the fill. It was not considered to have been an enclosing feature of the monastic site. A series of shallow east-west gullies were also exposed. These yielded a small amount of animal bone but no datable objects.
Monitoring of ground works was carried out during the summer and autumn of 2018.
Roestown, Drumree, Co. Meath
