2021:243 - Donacarney Little, Mornington, Meath

This site at Donacarney Little, Mornington, Co. Meath, to the east of Marsh Road, was subject to test trenching and monitoring under an extension of licence 18E0380. The nearest known monument consists of two conjoined enclosures ME021-033001-, ME021-033001, both identified as a cropmark on Apple Maps by Bluesky International in June 2018. These are located 245m to the south-east of the site. The site does not contain any Protected Structures listed within the Meath County Development Plan 2013-2019. The nearest such structure is Donacarney House RPS ID. MH021-108 is also listed in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) as NIAH Reg. No. 4318001 with associated outbuildings representing stables NIAH Reg. 14318002 and lodge NIAH ID. 14318003 located on the west side of Marsh Road between c.160m and 345m to the west of the current site. The house is labelled on the 1834 map as Little Mornington. The area adjacent to and south-west of the site, Field 1, was subject to monitoring (the east part) and test trenching (the west part) carried out under licence 18E0380 in 2018, exposing nothing of archaeological significance. The licence was transferred to Linda Clarke in 2019. In October 2021, the licence was extended to allow for archaeological investigations of Fields 2 and 3.

Test trenching of the northern extent of Field 2 and monitoring of topsoil stripping of Field 3 and south part of Field 2 was carried out in November 2021 under an extension of licence 18E0380. A total of 6 test trenches were excavated within Field 2. Each trench measured 1.8m in width, and in total, 100m of linear trenches were excavated. The test trenches were excavated down to the natural. In general, the trenches revealed light greyish-brown clayey silt subsoil, with frequent stone in places, measuring between 0.85-1.5m in depth overlying natural, that varied between light yellowish-brown clayey silt with moderate pebbles and alluvial gravel, a mottled greyish-brown and orange in colour. In Trench 3, a south-east to north-west aligned linear feature, C3, measuring c. 12m in length, 0.82m in width and c. 0.37m in depth was exposed. It was interpreted as a field ditch and not of archaeological significance.

Monitoring of topsoil stripping was carried out of Field 3 and the south portion of Field 2. The sod and topsoil measuring 0.2-0.3m was removed onto a natural of light yellowish-brown clayey silt with moderate pebbles. No features of archaeological significance were exposed, and no finds were retrieved. The work is now complete.

Unit 21 Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co Louth