Ecclesiastical enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a broad, low hill with the W edge of the reclaimed Little Lagore Lough, an oval area (dims c. 1.25km E-W; c. 0.5km N-S), c. 500m to the E. The headwaters of an E-W stream that leads into the SE-NW Skane River are c. 400m to the SW. The early church site founded by St Seachnall (ME044-033002-) and the medieval parish church that succeeded it are within a rectangular graveyard (ME044-033003-). The S-N Main Street of Dunshaughlin village curves from S-W-NE of the church, which suggests that an ecclesiastical enclosure (diam. c. 200m) has become fossilised in the street-pattern.
Archaeological testing (91E0101) outside the N perimeter of the graveyard identified nine ditches curving E-W in two bands roughly centred on the church (Meehan 1992). A substantial ditch (Wth 3-4m; D 1.7m plus) occurring in all trenches c. 60m N of the graveyard and centred on it, can be interpreted as the fosse of an ecclesiastical enclosure (diam. c. 160m). Medieval pottery and a spindle whorl were recovered, and the area roughly inside the ditch is maintained as a green area. (Meehan and Cassidy 1991)
Archaeological testing (17E0194) by R. Meenan just SE of the graveyard and straddling the line of the ecclesiastical enclosure at SE produced no evidence of that feature in this area. Some E-W features were recorded including an E-W ditch (Wth 3-3.5m; D 0.8m) just S of the graveyard with a uniform fill of silty clay which produced no artefacts but is not thought to be an enclosing feature of the graveyard. A relict N-S field boundary ditch was also present (excavations.ie 2017:792; 2018:777).

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 7 April, 2015
Amended: 30 March 2022

References

Meenan, R. and Cassidy, E. 1991. Site assessment – site N of St Sechnaill's church, Dunshaughlin. Unpublished report, Archaeological Development Services.

Meenan, R. 1992 ‘St Secundinus' Church, Dunshaughlin: early ecclesiastical site. In I. Bennett (ed.) Excavations 1991: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 36. Bray, Wordwell.