Excavation

Discovered during the development of playing pitches at Dundalk Institute of Technology (Excavation Licence Nos. 02E0008 (area 17) and 02E0200). A bronze Age cooking pit (diam. 0.66m; D 0.35m) was excavated and produced a radiocarbon date of 1440-1130 BC. Some 30m to E was a trough (L 1.35m; Wth 0.79m; D 0.28m) which was filled with heat shattered stones, small quantity of cremated bone and charcoal which produced a radiocarbon date of 800-520 BC. The trough was surrounded by a series of postholes which formed two successive windbreaks (L c. 5m). Immediately to the NE of the windbreak were four stakeholes. (Mossop 2002, 31-3, 47; Mossop 2004, 377; O' Hara 2004, 380) References: Mossop, M. 2002 Archaeological monitoring and investigations, Dundalk Institute of Technology, County Louth. Unpublished archaeological report. National Monuments Section, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dublin. Mossop, M. 2004 Marshes Upper, Dundalk. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2002: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 375-8 (No. 1335). Bray. Wordwell. O' Hara, R. 2004 Area 17, Marshes Upper, Dundalk. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2002: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 380 (No. 1342). Bray. Wordwell. Compiled by: Claire Breen Date of upload: 2 December 2011