What is recorded here

Twelve patches of scorched stone and two dark troughs still mark the north bank of a small canalised stream in Drumcar. The site stretches twenty-seven metres along the water, preserving the shape of repeated heat rather than a single dramatic event. People likely gathered there to boil food, clean tools or share stories beside the White River, leaving behind a landscape written in burnt clay and memory.

Situated in the valley of as small E-W canalised stream which joins the meandering S-N White River c. 400m to the W. Archaeological testing (20E0443) by L. Clarke (2021) identified an area of burnt spreads on the N bank of the stream (excavations.ie 2020:420). There were 12 patches of burnt stone material (dims 1.3m x 0.85m to 12.3m xx 5.6m) covering a large area (max. dims c. 27m E-W; c. 9m N-S). Associated with these were two possible troughs, rectangular features (dims 1.5m x 0.7m: dims 1.4m x 0.7m) filled with darker concentrations of burnt stone. There were also 14 circular pits (diam. c. 0.55m to c. 2.4m) containing black sandy clays. The area was traversed by a number of E-W and N-S drains, and a larger V-shaped ditch (L 24m plus; Wth 0.58m; D 0.8m) that crossed NW-SE could be medieval. Only the tops of all these features were explored and the entire area is to be preserved in situ. (Clarke 2021, 8-10) See the attached plan from Clare (2021, fig. 7) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 4 May 2023 Clarke, L. 2021 Report on Archaeological Assessment at Red Barn, Drumcar Rd. Dunleer, Co. Louth. Licence: 20E0443. Unpublished report, ACSU

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