Souterrain

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a rise in a low-lying landscape. Remote sensing (05R0087) and archaeological testing (05E0963) over an extensive area (57 ha) in Haynestown and Haggardstown townlands identified a great number of potential archaeological monuments (McLoughlin 2008). The corbelled chamber of a souterrain was discovered during archaeological testing beneath 0.3m of topsoil. It was on the line of the enclosing fosse of rath (LH012-117001-) at N. Stones forming the top of a passage were identified c. 3m to the SE, and what may be a further section of the passage was identified c. 11m S of the chamber in stones running NW-SE. From the chamber itself backfilled trenches (Wth 3-4m) extended to the SW (L c. 10m) and NNW (L c. 15m), the latter terminating in a stone setting that is very likely to be the original entrance. The corbelled chamber was inaccessible and it is still preserved intact as the proposed development was re-located. (McLoughlin 2006, 8)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 27 October, 2017

References

McLoughlin, G. 2008 Haynestown and Haggardstown. Testing; various. In I. Bennett (ed.) Excavations 2005: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 263, No. 1078. Dublin Wordwell

McLoughlin G. 2006 Archaeological Assessment at Haynestown and Haggardstown, Dundalk, Co. Louth. Licence No. 05E0963. Unpublished report, Irish Archaeological Consultancey Ltd.