County: Kerry Site name: DIRTANE, Ballyheigue
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 01E1037
Author: Simon Ó Faoláin, Eachtra Archaeological Projects
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 475393m, N 629222m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.400325, -9.831147
Test excavations were carried out in advance of the construction of a new sewerage scheme at Ballyheigue, Co. Kerry. The pipeline route was to pass through the recorded location of a levelled ringfort and souterrain (RMP 14:61). The site lies on the eastern side of the main road from Ballyheigue to Causeway, about 500m north-east of the former village. The field tested is bounded on the west by a stream, which separates the pasturage of the test site from a strip of mature woodland and scrub that lies between it and the road. The ground slopes downwards from east to west and the only level area in the field is its south-eastern corner.
The works took place on 12 and 13 November 2001. Two trenches were excavated by a 6-ton mini-digger and cleaned down by hand. Both trenches ran north–south and measured 2m by c. 85m. Trench 1 ran along the proposed line of the pipeline, while Trench 2 ran parallel to this, 10m further east, corresponding with the eastern extreme of the way-leave for pipeline works. Topsoil had an average depth of c. 0.35m, generally coming down onto a cream-coloured clayey sand natural subsoil. The southern part of Trench 1, in the boggy south-western corner of the field, had a thicker, blacker peaty topsoil and the subsoil in this area contained a high proportion of rock.
Two possible features were uncovered in Trench 1, both near its northern end. F1 was a linear feature running east–west across the trench. Upon excavation this was found to be a flat-based furrow of no archaeological interest. F2, 6m south of F1, was a pair of similar furrows set closely together. This was thought at first to be a field boundary, but theywere very shallow and the flat-based profiles of their cuts were very similar to that of F1.
Four possible features were encountered in Trench 2, all linear and aligned roughly east–west. F3 was the same furrow encountered in Trench 1, while F4 likewise corresponded to F2 in the latter trench. F5, about midway down the trench, was found to be a field drain with stone-lined base, probably of no antiquity. F6 was covered by a large, flat stone and was thought at first to be another field drain, but turned out to be a natural hollow with some peat present in the fill.
None of the features excavated were deemed to be archaeological and no artefactual material was recovered with the exception of modern china sherds. This was not surprising, as examination of the first edition Ordnance Survey maps indicates that the position given on the RMP is incorrect and that the ringfort lies some 30m farther to the south-east.
3 Canal Place, Tralee, Co. Kerry
