County: Louth Site name: Baltray Road, Termonfeckin
Sites and Monuments Record No.: envorins of LH022-041---- Licence number: 24E0121
Author: Eoin Halpin
Site type: Testing
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 713973m, N 780081m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.757862, -6.271588
Louth County Council (LCC) received a Part 8 planning permission for the construction of a playground at a site on Baltray Road, Termonfeckin. Until recently, prior to testing the site had a water tower, the above-ground elements of which had been removed. As the site was located within the zone of archaeological potential associated with the historic settlement of Termonfeckin (LH022-041----) LCC were obliged to engage with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage prior to the commencement of any sub-surface development works. The upshot of which was an archaeological impact assessment comprising the evaluation of the site via two machine-dug test trenches. These were opened on 22 February 2024.
The two test trenches were opened in areas within the site not clearly disturbed by the footprint of the old water tower. A number of modern features were uncovered, consisting of a buried concrete gate pillar, the old water outlet pipeline, two foundation bases of the water tower and the line of a stone-filled drainage gully. All of these were set within a hard compacted glacial till subsoil.
Nothing of archaeological significance was noted in the course of the evaluation.
AHC Ltd 36 Ballywillwill Road, Castlewellan Co Down BT31 9LF
