County: Kerry Site name: CARRAIG
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 01E0122
Author: Margaret McCarthy, Archaeological Services Unit, University College Cork
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 438984m, N 606855m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.189956, -10.355059
The single-dwelling development site was on the lower west slopes of Reenconnell at Carraig, Dingle, Co. Kerry, and commanded extensive views across Smerwick Harbour as far as the island of Inishtooskert. It was the subject of a planning condition that required monitoring as part of the archaeological assessment. A levelled univallate ringfort (SMR 42:17) is within the development site itself, and a more substantial ringfort (SMR 42:16) known locally as ‘Lisgortnacaheragh’ lies to the west of the new dwelling-house.
The assessment entailed investigating those areas where maximum ground disturbance occurred. The topsoil was removed from the entire area of the proposed house, and the full extent of the percolation area to the south of the house was also investigated. The A-horizon was removed with a wide toothless bucket to the top of the subsoil, which consisted of relatively stony heavy black clay silt, varying in depth from 0.35m to 0.4m. This overlay the natural boulder clay, which consisted of a light brown stony clay containing occasional large boulders. The boulder clay was excavated to a maximum depth of 0.2m below ground level and no archaeological deposits or finds were noted. Trenching in the percolation area also revealed an undisturbed soil profile similar to that observed in the area of the house. It was dug to a maximum depth of 0.7m below the present ground level and no archaeological features or finds were present.
