County: Kerry Site name: GORTATLEA
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 01E0175
Author: Michael Connolly, Ægis Archaeology Ltd.
Site type: Enclosure
Period/Dating: Undetermined
ITM: E 491396m, N 609454m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.226119, -9.589698
Under this licence, fifteen separate features noted during the monitoring of the N22 road realignment in the townland of Gortatlea were excavated. All of the features except those noted close to the ditched enclosure excavated previously (Excavations 2000, No. 434, 00E0779) proved to be non-archaeological, mainly consisting of shallow land drains.
The features around the ditched enclosure appeared as curved discolourations in the underlying boulder clay. Six sections, three on each side of the original site excavated in 2000, were opened and revealed the presence of a second ditch.
The ditch feature uncovered in the current phase of excavation is concentric to the earlier inner ditch at a distance of 5m, enclosing an area 35.8m east–west by approximately 37.5m (the northern and southern ends of the ditch are outside the road-take and under the existing N22 respectively).
Owing to the uneven nature of the topsoil-stripping, one of the areas sectioned was at a considerably higher level than the other six sections, though still 0.68m below the original ground surface. Here the ditch was preserved to its greatest depth, 1.05m, and width, 2.4m. The average dimensions of the ditch in the other, lower-lying sections were 0.65m deep and 2m wide.
The ditch is unquestionably part of the earlier site and suggests that the site may be the remains of a levelled ringfort which had been constructed on an area of earlier Iron Age, Bronze Age and Neolithic activity. However, it should be noted that no definitive evidence for a bank was recovered, while a doubt must remain as to whether or not the two ditches are contemporary. This will hopefully be resolved by further radiocarbon dating.
16 Avondale Court, Corbally, Limerick
