County: Meath Site name: Sheephouse, Donore
Sites and Monuments Record No.: ME044-069 Licence number: 23E0782
Author: Glenn Gibney
Site type: Linear ditches
Period/Dating: Post Medieval (AD 1600-AD 1750)
ITM: E 704810m, N 774685m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.711313, -6.412312
Archaeological test trenching was carried out between 29 September and 2 October 2023 at Sheephouse, Donore, Co. Meath, c.2km north of Donore village, and c.1km east of the M1 Motorway. The site is bound by the ‘Sheephouse bypass’ (L16012 Donore to Oldbridge) to the west and Sheephouse Lane to the east. The ‘bypass’ was constructed in the late 2000s in order to improve access to the Battle of the Boyne interpretative centre at Oldbridge, Co. Meath. Additionally, the site sits within the eastern side of the buffer zone set out by the Brú na Boinne World Heritage Site Management Plan (2017).
Soil from excavated trenches was examined for finds both macroscopically and with a Garrett ATX metal detector. This was carried out under Detection Licence No. 23R0404, also issued by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in consultation with the National Museum of Ireland.
A total of 4 test trenches were excavated within the site. The test trenches targeted the footprint of the proposed development. Each trench measured 1.8m in width, and in total 70m of linear trenching was excavated. The test trenches were excavated down to the natural subsoil. The presence of both above and below-ground electrical services reduced the area available for testing.
The site has a potential association with both the 1690 Battle of the Boyne and the wider Brú na Boinne World Heritage Site buffer zone. No feature or finds confirmed links to either of these sites. However, the features in Trench 1 were devoid of any post-medieval datable finds and were primarily filled with both burnt and unburnt animal bone, typical of historical and prehistoric domestic features. In Trench 1, the only securely datable artefact, a 16-18th-century tyg vessel, is within the date range for the Battle of the Boyne as well as the establishment and use of the 16th–17th-century house (ME020-069).
In total, five archaeological features were identified within the excavated test trenches. These consist of two linear features (C9 & C11) in Trench 1 and three linear features (C3, C5 & C7) in Trench 3; these will be directly impacted by the proposed development.
It is recommended that all features identified be preserved by record (excavated) should preservation in situ not be feasible.
Unit 21 Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth. A92 DH99.
