2002:0851 - TRALEE: Muing West, Kerry

Testing took place here on 20 December 2002 before an application for planning permission to construct four apartments. The proposed development site lay in the area of archaeological potential of the site of an enclosure (most likely a ringfort).

Site inspection revealed no visible traces likely to be archaeological in nature. The ground was poorly drained and boggy and appeared to have been disturbed quite recently. A local informant said that the entire area had been completely stripped by bulldozer during drainage works over the last few years. The very thin topsoil cover noted during testing seemed to confirm this.

The area tested measured 52m east–west by 20m. Five trenches were excavated by a machine with a toothless bucket. Three of these, each c. 50m long and 1.5m wide, ran parallel to the boundary walls of the site and were evenly spaced. A further two trenches were excavated in the south-eastern extreme of the site, where it was more likely that the enclosure/ringfort would be encountered. Both trenches were c. 20m long and 1.5m wide.

The topsoil was found to be only 0.1m deep on average, coming down onto a mottled, yellow/grey/ black, clay subsoil. The extreme thinness of the topsoil was in agreement with the local information indicating that the site had been stripped during the last few years. No archaeological features or artefacts were encountered. The only subsurface features noted were several narrow stone-filled drainage cuts. These were situated near the western end of the testing site and had fills including red-brick fragments.

Based on the results of testing, there was no indication of any surviving archaeological deposits relating either to the Recorded Monument or to any other early activity.

3 Canal Place, Tralee, Co. Kerry