1999:325 - BROSNA—KNOCKNAGOSHEL REGIONAL WATER SUPPLY SCHEME, Kerry

Monitoring of the Brosna-Knocknagoshel Regional Water Supply Scheme took place between June and November 1999. The development encompassed five townlands: Brosna West, Tooreenablauha, Knoppoge, Knockognoe and Knockafreaghaun. No archaeological sites are recorded along the route of the development on the relevant RMP Constraint Maps for County Kerry, Sheets 24 and 32. Contained within Brosna village itself is an ecclesiastical enclosure centred on St Moling's Church and associated holy well. Also within the townland of Brosna West, to the west of the Clydagh River, is a field denoted on the 2nd edition OS map as 'Poulatemple'; this may be of either archaeological or historical importance.

A major focus of the development works is the southern bank of the Clydagh River. The marshy nature of the underlying ground surface is conducive to the location of archaeological sites such as fulachta fiadh. During the archaeological impact assessment a potential fulacht fiadh was identified 390m north of the proposed Intake Supply Centre. Extensive field-walking by the author could not identify this site, nor were any traces of archaeological stratigraphy noted at this location during the construction works.

The development works relate to the construction of a treatment plant, a reservoir, a pump house and an intake supply centre. The works also involved the construction of 6800m of pipeline and 110 house connections. The larger part of the pipeline followed the course of existing road systems. The trenches had an average width of 1.6m and depth of 1.7m.

Despite the extent and linear arrangement of the development, no subsurface archaeological stratigraphy was identified at any point throughout its course. A single find was retrieved from the bed of the Clydagh River, but this is believed to be a fossil, and a specialist report on it is pending.

3 Canal Place, Tralee, Co. Kerry