1997:237 - CURRAGRAIGUE, Kerry

Test excavations took place prior to application for full planning permission for a house. The site had been noted from an aerial photograph, and could also be seen on the ground at the time of the excavation. It is in low-lying pasture, with a moderate view all around, but particularly uphill to the south. It measures 15.7m north-south by 14.6m east-west approx. and consists of a slightly raised interior, c. 11m in diameter, and a slight external ditch.

Prior to the commencement of this excavation, engineers' test-pits had been dug at the northern and southern ends of the monument. To minimise further destruction, Trench 1 (19.2m long in total) was dug from 3m to the north of the site, through the pit to the north and ran southwards through the centre of the site, with a dog-leg to the west to avoid the second pit, as it was found that the stratigraphy was too disturbed in these areas to be of archaeological use. The main feature noted was the fosse, 1.7m wide and at least 0.84m deep. It was not bottomed as this was merely a test excavation to confirm the presence of the monument. Much charcoal was present in the layers investigated, but there were no finds. Apart from two possible areas of burning within the monument, there were no other features noted in this trench.

Trench 2 ran for 37m in a north-west/south-east direction to the north-east of the site. Another possible area of burning or perhaps the base of a small pit was found in the trench, and a narrow U-bottomed fosse or ditch, 0.8m wide and 0.75m deep, was also sectioned. One of its layers was again very charcoal-rich.

The monument straddled the development site in question, and that adjacent to it to the west, but investigation took place only within the area defined in the planning application.

Glen Fahan, Ventry, Tralee, Co. Kerry