Souterrain

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated at the crest of a steep N-facing slope. This feature is annotated as ‘Cave’ in gothic lettering on the 1836 and 1908 editions of the OS 6-inch map. The souterrain is beneath an E-W road and has an entrance that is still open under the S face of the N road bank. It was described in 1969 (SMR file) as a drystone-built, L-shaped passage (total L c. 11m) that extended S from the entrance and then W before terminating in beehive chamber that was partially collapsed revealing rock outcrop behind the stonwork but the chamber has an air-vent extending W. Archaeological testing (04E0818) by R. Meenan immediately to the S produced no related material (excavations.ie 2004:1322). Further archaeological testing (08E0485) by C. Gleeson c. 50m to the W on the N side of the road (Doolan and Gleeson 2008) also failed to produce any material relating to it. More recent archaeological testing (20E0417) by Donald Murphy c. 20m to the E at the closest point and N of the road did not produce any evidence of an associated enclosure, but it did uncover an E-W trench (Wth 2.25m plus; D 1.6m) filled with soils that had plastic inclusions just inside the N road boundary (excavations.ie 2020:147).

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 10 July 2007
Amended: 3 August 2022

References

Doolan, R. and Gleeson, C. 2008 Archaeological Assessment at Rathbran More, Lobinstown, Co. Meath. Licence: 08E0485. Unpublished report, the Archaeology Company