2000:0424 - CARRIGEENDANIEL, Kerry

Archaeological monitoring carried out by Jacinta Kiely in January 2000 in advance of a housing development revealed five areas of archaeological potential. In May 2000 these areas were tested, which resulted in the full excavation of a number of archaeological features. All five areas were archaeological in nature, though Areas A, C and D proved to be the richest in archaeological stratigraphy. The site is divided into two main areas along which two rows of houses will be built. A long, narrow, undisturbed green area running east–west separates the archaeological areas on either side. On the east side Areas A, B and C run from south to north, and D and E are on the west side of the green strip.

Area A consists of seven pits (two of which have heavy concentrations of charcoal and ash), a furrow and four stake-holes. The two central pits are the most interesting and may represent dumps from hearths. They had two charcoal-enriched fills with approximately 40% burnt red sandstone. Although the subsoil was stained by the charcoal-enriched fills, there was no evidence of burning in situ.

Two pits located beside each other were similar, as both had upper fills containing burnt inclusions, with a basal gravel lining. The upper fills of both are cut by the furrow running north–south from under an undisturbed green area. To the west of the furrow was another pit with a charcoal-enriched fill with burnt red sandstone. Its base bottomed onto limestone bedrock.

A burnt spread consisting mainly of a grey, silty loam, charcoal flecks and burnt red sandstone overlay one of four stake-holes. Although the stake-holes in the north side of Area A are close together, they do not seem to form any coherent structure.

The western side of Area A has three pits. The largest and longest was 4.7m long and 2.4m wide with a depth of 0.35m. It has a charcoal-flecked loam as an upper fill, with two gravel layers lining the base of the pit. Finds included a piece of 19th-century pottery and an iron nail from the upper fill, which suggests either a relatively recent date for this layer or later disturbance. Another pit with a charcoal-flecked gravel fill contained a worked stone disc.

Area B consisted of two archaeological features, two stake-holes and a modern furrow. The stake-holes were located beside each other and had a charcoal-flecked, grey clay fill. The shallow remains of the furrow ran north–south across the area.

Area C consisted of one large linear pit, eight small circular pits, two post-holes and a hearth. The eight small pits clustered along the east of the area and were all very similar in composition, consisting of a primary fill with a firm, mottled brownish-yellow fill that is cut by a later, shallower pit. The fill of the recut pit is mainly burnt material consisting of charcoal, burnt sandstone, burnt clay and, in the case of one pit, a piece of cremated animal bone. The pits do not seem to form part of any coherent, recognisable structure.

The hearth, however, may have some relationship to most of the features in Area C, being the area where burning took place and the source of charcoal. The hearth formed a pit surrounding a linear limestone rock outcrop. Burning was in situ and covered six stake-holes in which small fragments of cremated animal bone were found. The stake-holes may be the remains of a retaining wall or structure associated with the hearth. A large, linear, shallow pit located along the northern edge of the area had only one fill, consisting of a charcoal-flecked, brown clay with some burnt red sandstone. The two stake-holes had no obvious function or relation to any of the other features.

Area D consisted of a shallow pit and two burnt spreads. Limestone bedrock outcrops across the site, and it is noteworthy that both burnt spreads are located in natural depressions on the bedrock and were burnt in situ. The fills of the spreads were totally sampled, with the fill of one consisting purely of charcoal and ash. The main burnt spread consisted of some ash but mostly of burnt seeds. It was subrectangular, 0.88m wide, 1.8m long, 0.05m deep, with burning carried out in situ. An iron fragment was found on top of the spread, but this was a loose find and may be later in date. A water-rolled pebble also came from the base of the spread. The pit was shallow and subcircular with a similar charcoal-flecked fill to that of other pits in Area C.

Area E consisted of a large linear pit, 4.5m by 5m, filled with a charcoal-flecked, brown clay, patches of burnt clay and some pebbles. The pit appears to have been highly disturbed by root action or burrowing and had no obvious function.

Post-excavation work is at a preliminary stage, with further research and analysis still ongoing. It is not possible to state the definitive date or function of the site at this stage. No structures were evident, with most of the features consisting of burnt spreads or pits associated with burning. There were ten finds from the site: two pieces of pottery, an iron nail, an iron object, four water-rolled pebbles, a piece of worked stone and a blue glass bead. The water-rolled pebbles were found in the natural, except for one that was found at the base of a burnt spread in Area D. They average 30mm in diameter and may have been transported to the area through glacial activity, though similar pebbles were found at Ballycarty passage tomb to the south-east of Tralee. A worked stone disc was found in the fill of a pit in Area A. It is a circular disc, concave in section, and formed naturally, possibly a fossil or mudstone. However, the circumference is worked with small incisions flaked around its periphery. Its date and function are not clear, but further research may clarify this.

A sherd of pottery found in the topsoil is probably late medieval or post-medieval in date. It is an unglazed body sherd and has a cream fabric, indicating that it may be French. It is probable that this find is not contemporary with the site. A small, corroded, rectangular iron plate was found on top of the burnt seeds, but its context cannot be directly associated with the burnt spread and it may have been deposited during soil-stripping. An iron nail and a piece of pottery were found in the upper fill of a linear pit in Area A. They are both modern and would suggest disturbance in the 19th or 20th century.

The most interesting find is the blue glass bead. Although out of context, it was found among charcoal that was probably excavated from the burnt pits in Area A during soil-stripping. It is the only find that is indicative of any date for the site. Its dating may have to be resolved through radiocarbon dating of its associated pits, but a broad date range sometime in late prehistory may be considered. The dating of the site will be more conclusive when the radiocarbon dates are processed. It is not clear whether all the archaeology is contemporary or the five areas represent different episodes of activity. The nature of the site is more in line with prehistoric activity. Recent excavations by Laurence Dunne and Jacinta Kiely (pers. comm.) in the Lee Valley have turned up similar features, mainly dating to the Late Bronze Age. This, along with the blue glass bead, suggests a Late Bronze Age date for the site, or possibly even Iron Age.

The function of the site would appear to be primarily domestic, considering the presence of a hearth, seeds and animal bone. The presence of charcoal and burnt sandstone in the pits can only testify to the use of fire and burning, and they do not contain other material suggestive of their usage. They may represent rubbish pits for the discarding of burnt material associated with domestic activities. However, the preliminary results of the excavation and of other recent excavations in the area add important information to our ever-increasing knowledge of the later prehistoric period in Kerry and in particular the Lee Valley.

3 Canal Place, Tralee, Co. Kerry