What is recorded here

Beneath the megalithic tomb, repeated hut-building left stake holes, hearths and flint scrapers across a long strip of earth. People returned often enough to break pottery, sharpen tools and burn wood in the same place, yet they left no permanent wall for later hands to touch. The tomb above did not erase that ordinary life; it folded it into silence while the sharp tools and broken jars waited for darkness to do its work.

The following description is derived from both the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Louth' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1986) and the 'Archaeological Survey of County Louth' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1991). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 17 July 2007 Beneath the megalithic tomb (LH024-008002-) excavated by G. Eogan in 1960 was a layer of occupation refuse (L 15.7m NW-SE, max. Wth 11m) in association with numerous stake-holes and hearths. This suggested to the excavator that occupation on the site was of a recurrent semi-permanent nature and that the structures revealed were probably of a tent or hut-like nature. Artifacts recovered in the course of excavation included hollow scrapers and end scrapers of flint. There were also numerous sherds of passage tomb and Sandhills Neolithic pottery, with a smaller percentage of Western Neolithic ware. (JRSAI 1963, 37-81)

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