Structure in Dunboyne

Archaeological centre-line testing (04E0489) by R. O’Hara of Testing Area 5 of Contract 1 prior to the construction of the M3 motorway identified archaeological features (excavations.ie: 2004:1191) that were fully excavated (E003034) by the same archaeologist as Dunboyne 2 in August/September 2005. The features were deeply truncated by medieval quarrying, and tree-bowls, possibly from a prehistoric clearance, were also present. Two parallel NW-SE drains c. 1.5m apart run through the excavated area and contained both medieval and post-medieval artefacts. Numerous small finds, including flint and chert flakes, the base of a stone mortar, and an iron arrowhead were retrieved from the ploughsoil. A circular structure, two corn-drying kilns, and evidence of metal-working was recorded. An arc of seven pits enclosed more than half a circular area (int. diam. c. 6.1m) but its S edge had been destroyed by medieval quarrying. The pits are broad shallow ovals (dims 0.9m x 0.6m; D 0.07m to 1.9m x 0.5m; D 0.07m) filled with dark grey/brown silty clays with charcoal flecking. One pit (dims 1.65m x 0.67m; D 0.37m) was less truncated with a similar fill from which a C14 date of 729-262 cal. BC was derived from a piece of blackthorn charcoal. Two smaller pits and a post-hole were less than 1m inside the line of defining pits. The outer pits may have been a drip-gully from the eaves or the slot-trench for the wall of a small circular hut-site. An area of oxidised subsoil (dims 1.5m x 1m) c. 3m to the N was probably a hearth where a Group VI tuff stone axe was found. Two flint flakes were the only (residual) artefacts recovered. (O’Hara 2009, 2-4) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of uplaod: 3 November 2021 O’Hara, R. 2009 M3 Clonee - North of Kells, Contract 1 Clonee – Dunshaughlin. Final Report on the Archaeological Excavation of Dunboyne 2, Co. Meath. Licence: E003034. Unpublished report, Archaeological Consultancy Services