County: Louth Site name: Site 2, Marsh Road, Newtown, Drogheda
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 19E0733
Author: Linda Clarke, Archaeological Consultancy Services Unit
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 710756m, N 774862m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.711675, -6.322219
The proposed development site is a part of an area that was previously under archaeological study. A geophysical survey was carried out under licence number 19R0005 and archaeological testing was carried out under licence number 19E0017. This testing confirmed the presence of a sub-circular enclosure and some associated features along the line of the proposed road. Subsequent topsoil stripping was carried out at the request of Louth County Council in order to expose the extent of the enclosure under licence number 19E0433 by Linda Clark of ACSU. This phase of works revealed the presence of twenty-one archaeological features and exposed the majority of the enclosure, with the exception of a small part of the ditch.
The current programme involved archaeological testing of the southernmost part of the site. Test trenching was carried out on the site on 13-15 January 2020 using a 14-tonne tracked excavator. A total of twenty-four test trenches were excavated across the footprint of the proposed development. Trenches 5 and 27 could not be excavated due to their close proximity to the presence of overhead electrical wires and Trench 23 could not be excavated due to its location near a wet ditch. Each trench measured 1.8m in width and in total 1814m of linear trenches were excavated. In general, the trenches contained mid-grey clay topsoil and sod (C1) at a depth of c. 0.23–0.3m, overlying compact orange clay natural (C2) with round and angular stone inclusions.
No archaeological features or deposits were exposed or identified and no finds were recovered. The work is now complete and no further archaeological work is recommended.
Unit 21 Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co Louth
