County: Kerry Site name: BUNATALLOON, Tralee
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 99E0553
Author: Jacinta Kiely, Eachtra Archaeological Projects
Site type: Pit
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 483984m, N 614652m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.271310, -9.699932
Monitoring of all ground disturbance aspects of a factory site in Monavalley Industrial Estate, in the northern part of Tralee town, was undertaken to comply with a planning condition. An area of archaeological stratigraphy was noted during topsoil-stripping and was subsequently excavated.
A pit, measuring 1.82m north-east/south-west by 0.92m and 0.82m deep, was truncated to the east by a modern drain. The pit contained two fills. The upper fill included 30% of burnt sandstone fragments. The base contained a high percentage of charcoal. Nine stake-holes cut the western end of the base of the pit. They were aligned north-west/south-east. They were on average 0.08m in diameter and 0.13m deep. Two stake-holes cut the eastern end of the base of the pit. They had a similar diameter but were on average 0.4m deep.
Nine stake-holes were clustered to the immediate west of the pit. They were aligned north-west/south-east. It is likely that the stakes to the west and in the western end of the pit functioned as a windbreak, sheltering the pit from the prevailing westerly winds.
Clover Hill, Mallow, Co. Cork
