1994:116 - CATHAIR FIONNÚRACH, Ballnavenooragh, Kerry

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Kerry Site name: CATHAIR FIONNÚRACH, Ballnavenooragh

Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 34:41 Licence number: 94E0005

Author: Erin Gibbons

Site type: Ringfort - cashel

Period/Dating: Multi-period

ITM: E 442884m, N 610754m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.226100, -10.299887

The site consists of a circular stone fort which encloses two conjoined stone houses. The internal diameter of the fort or cashel is 25.5m. The wall survives to a height of 2.5m and is up to 3.5m in thickness. The wall has been interfered with in the south-east, south and western quadrants. Along the southern circumference the core of the wall has been removed to facilitate a farm trackway which is still in use. There is a narrow entrance 1.4m wide in the west sector. The southern jamb stone of the entrance and part of the cashel wall to the south-west of the entrance have been damaged to foundation level. A shallow internal ditch skirts the wall of the fort.

A wall niche is present in the internal face of the north-west sector of the cashel wall close to the ground level. The remains of a collapsed chamber is present in the inner face of the cashel wall at the south-east. The chamber has been damaged and partially concealed by re-facing the wall in recent times. The wall chamber may correspond to one of the two wall chambers identified in the plan of the site published by Westropp in 1902. Early plans of the site also show terraces and steps along the northern internal wall face. A letter in O.P.W. files which describes the site in 1893 states "..the wall which surrounds the caher is 11ft thick and was ascended on the interior by steps and benches.."

Little evidence of former benches/terraces or steps are obvious in the fabric of the cashel wall. However, the external wall face in the north and north-east sector rises slightly higher than the top of the inner wall face.

House Structures
The two conjoined houses within the fort are circular internally and form a rough figure of eight. They measure 6.5m x 4.5m internally. The larger of the two houses is placed centrally and the smaller adjoins it in the north-east. A souterrain is entered from the smaller house at the north-east. It is L-shaped with the main passage tending north-south. The main entrance to the larger house is in the west, facing the entrance to the fort.

Excavation
The site was first excavated in 1893 by a William Darcy. He provides little detailed information on the excavation, however he does mention 'steps and benches' already referred to, 'spacious underground chambers' and 'cells in the boundary wall'. His report was in the form of a letter (unpublished) written to Sir Thomas N. Deane, 3 Upper Merrion St. and is dated September 25, 1893, Dingle.

The 1994 season concentrated on the entrance area to the fort, and on the larger house. The souterrain was also unblocked and examined.

Souterrain
The souterrain is entered via a man-made stone-lined pit which is partly arched over by the inner wall face of the smaller house at east. The passage is reached via an earthern ramp and stone steps which descend from the pit and meet the passage at right angles. The upper quoin on the south-west corner of the entrance passage contains a series of incisions at a slight angle. It is difficult to determine whether these are natural or man-made. These were already noted in an undated O.P.W. sketch drawing of the site which probably dates to the early 20th century or slightly earlier. The passage, which is slightly curved, is roofed with large stone slabs. The floor of the passage is strewn with loose stone and litter and is partly water filled. It is proposed to fully excavate the souterrain during the second season of excavation in 1995.

Entrance area, cashel wall and paved path
During the excavation of the cashel wall to the south of the entrance, re-deposited rubble was removed exposing the bottom course of the inner wall face. A shallow trench was opened outside the cashel wall revealing the bottom course of the outer wall face. A small fragment of an iron saw was found at the base of the rubble in the centre of the wall.

A paved path leading from the cashel entrance to the larger house entrance was exposed during the desodding. The path was previously recorded by Westropp (1902). The path is flanked for part of the distance by slabs set on their side. These tend to decrease in size with distance from the house.

The entrance to the cashel was originally defined by two upright jambs 1.4m apart and a sill stone threshold still in situ. One upright jambstone is still in situ and projects at right angles from the north face of the cashel entrance area. The entrance is slightly wider on the interior of these features. The second jamb stone was located in the interior of the fort and lying loose, immediately north-east of the entrance area and to the north of the paved pathway within Cutting (A).

Cutting (A)
This cutting is located immediately north of the paved pathway and consists of several layers of soil and stone. It was cut through at west by a shallow ditch. A slight bank, located immediately east of the ditch, was probably the result of spoil thrown up from the ditch cutting. The only feature of possible archaeological interest in this area was an elongated key-shaped structure which was orientated east-west with the circular portion located at east. Only one course survived and the stones which made up the circle appeared to have collapsed westward. A strike-a-light formed part of the feature and charcoal spreads were found in the vicinity of the structure. When this feature was removed a silver penny of Henry III minted in Dublin between 1251–1254 was recovered. A spindle whorl and a rim sherd of pottery, probably Spanish Merida ware, were also found in this area.

Cutting (B)
This cutting was opened up immediately to the south of the paved pathway. Again several layers of stone and soil were present and slight traces of the internal ditch and bank. Finds from this cutting included a spindle whorl, an iron knife and slag. A rim sherd and another fragment of post-Roman pottery were also found. They resemble B. ware but also share characteristics of E. ware and a definitive identification has yet to be made.

Mound Abutting House (A)
A low mound of earth abutting the external wall face of the larger house at south was excavated. This mound was probably deposited during clearance of the site by the farmer in recent times and is of no consequence archaeologically.

House (A), Larger House
Before desodding, an oval-shaped band of vegatation was present in the central area. Loose stone along the base of the internal wall face of the house represented spillage from the top of the house wall.

After the sod was removed some small stones skirting the internal wall face were still present, again these represented spillage from the top of the house wall. Excavation of these stones exposed larger flat paving, skirting the entire inner face of the house in the north sector and partly in the south sector. These connect with the paved path which leads directly from the cashel wall entrance to the internal entrance area of the house. A shallow drain was partly excavated beneath the flat paving in the southern sector.

Stone steps were also exposed when the sod was removed. These ascend directly from the larger house to the smaller one in the eastern sector of House (A).

A possible anvil stone was partly exposed in the central area of the House (A) and a furnace pit was excavated immediately south of it. Other features excavated in the interior of House (A) include stakeholes and postholes. Spreads of charcoal were present thoughout the central area.

The wall of House (A) is vertical internally but appears to have a slight external batter. In the eastern part of the house and immediately to the south of the stone steps is a large slab. It bears a series of markings which hold a vague resemblance to Ogham or Runic but which are more likely to represent the doodlings of a forger in more recent times.

The only significant find from House (A) was a polished stone axe. This lay on the internal paving in the north sector of the house.

Finds recovered during general site clearance include strike-a-lights, a pin sharpener and a hone stone.

The second season of excavation begins in July 1995.

45 Daniel St., Dublin 8