Excavation

Archaeological monitoring (03E0666) by K. Campbell of an area of about 25 hectares (c. 60 acres) in the N borrowing area of a mining development identified seven principal areas of archaeological potential that were set aside for further investigation (excavations.ie 2003:1448). Site 4b was excavated completely (04E1351) by C. Murray (excavations.ie 2004:1318) and consisted of some scattered features but at the centre were a group of three small pits. An irregularly-shaped pit (dims 1.3m E-W; 1m N-S; D 0.24m) was just W of another pit (dims 1.06m x 0.66m; D 0.3m) although the two appeared to be connected at the top and both were filled with a homogenous fill of sandy clay with burnt stones. The W pit has a narrow V-shaped gully (L 1.45m; Wth 0.12m; D 0.08m) running downhill to the S to a smaller bowl-shaped pit (diam. 0.48m; D 0.18m) and both these features are filled with a grey silty sand with charcoal and burnt stone inclusions. A further pit (dims 1m x 0.66m; D 0.14m) was c. 5m to the SW and had a layer of brown/grey silty clay with moderate inclusions of burnt bone and charcoal. A spread of charcoal-rich material with some burnt stone (diam. 2.2m; T 0.1m) was c. 5m further to SW. All features were cut by N-S furrows. A radiocarbon date of 1760-16000 cal. BC (Wk – 22259) was provided by a piece of willow charcoal from the fill of the nearly conjoined pits. (Murray 2008, 22-4) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 27 March 2023 Campbell, K. 2004 Report on Archaeological Monitoring at Randalstown, Co. Meath. Licence: 03E0666. Unpublished report, Author Murray, C. 2008 Excavations at Tara Mines, Randalstown, Co. Meath. Licence: 04E1351. Unpublished report, CRDS