2019:538 - ESB NETWORKS, Drybridge to Drogheda, Louth

An archaeological assessment including monitoring and testing of works within Drogheda town centre, Co. Louth was carried out on behalf of ESB Networks who propose to lay two new cables from Drybridge to Leonard’s Cross and from Leonard’s Cross to Drogheda town centre. Drogheda town centre is a Recorded Monument (LH024-041, Historic town) and the proposed cables will pass within a distance of 200m of 26 sites listed within the Record of Monuments and Places (RMP) along its entire route, including the zone of notification around LH024-04100 (Religious house–Dominican Priory). Within the town centre the proposed cable trench will cross the line of a National Monument classified as medieval town defences (LH024-041014) between Patrick Street and Rope Walk. Three test trenches were excavated at this location in advance of excavation of the cable trench. This assessment was carried out by Deirdre and Donald Murphy of ACSU in line with a method statement approved by the Department under Ministerial Consent (C000942 and Registration No. E005055). The assessment included the excavation of three test trenches near the line of the town wall, the monitoring of slit trenches in Magdalene Street and Patrick Street, the monitoring of the ESB cable trench within the town centre and intermittent monitoring of trench excavations outside the medieval town centre.

Monitoring of this project failed to identify any archaeology within the ground disturbed by excavation of the ESB cable trench. The archaeological assessment involving excavation of three trenches at Rope Walk/Patrick Street in advance of proposed works failed to recover any evidence of the town wall or associated ditch at this location. The majority of the town wall was demolished and removed by 1830 with further fragments subsequently removed. It is possible that when the wall was demolished, all sub-surface remains including foundations were also removed. Previous testing by Ian Russell in August 2008 failed to identify any portion of the town wall along the south side of Patrick Street and concluded it may have originally been located c. 10–12m south of the existing modern retaining wall along Patrick Street. The possibility still exists that foundation remains of the wall survive south of excavations undertaken by Russell and north of the ESB cable trench. Subsequent archaeological monitoring of the ESB cable trench at the Green along Rope Walk failed to identify any archaeological remains of the town defences. Elsewhere monitoring of both slit trenches and the ESB cable trench failed to identify any archaeological remains. The development works did not impact any archaeological remains as none were present. No further archaeological works are required.