County: Meath Site name: Trim Cultural & Arts Centre, High Street, Townparks, Trim
Sites and Monuments Record No.: ME036-048--- Licence number: 19E0573 ext.
Author: Liam Coen, c/o Archer Heritage
Site type: Testing
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 680119m, N 757025m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.557019, -6.790777
An archaeological test excavation was carried out on a site located to the rear of the existing Trim Library and the (disused) St Patrick’s National School on High Street, Trim. The original excavation took place on 18–20 September 2019, under licence 19E0573 and 19R0203, and revealed, amongst others, a large north-east/south-west-running wall with abutting drain to the rear of St Patrick’s National School and another substantial north-east/south-west-running wall along a slightly different alignment to the rear of the Library. These features are considered to be medieval in date primarily due to their form, dimensions and depth below current ground level despite the lack of explicit associated dating material.
This test-excavation, under an extension to the original licence, concerns the mechanical excavation under archaeological supervision of extra cuttings to investigate further these features and any possible relationship between them. It took place over 12-13 December 2019 and revealed that the medieval wall with abutting drain continues towards the rear of the Library while the small section face of wall uncovered to the rear of the Library is of similar dimensions and turns under the existing property boundary at a right angle and continues under the existing boundary towards High Street.
During the course of excavating the trenches a metal detector was used to scan the removed spoil placed adjacent to the trenches to aid finds retrieval. No archaeological artefacts were retrieved in the course of metal-detecting the spoil during the excavation.
Unit 8 Beat Centre, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin
