County: Kerry Site name: N21 CASTLEISLAND TO ABBEYFEALE
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 03E1767; 03E1772; 03E1773; 03E1774; 03E1775; 03E1776; 03E1777
Author: Jacinta Kiely, Eachtra Archaeological Projects
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 507458m, N 621535m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.337608, -9.357990
Seven licences were granted to undertake centre-line and target testing on the N21 Road Improvement Scheme. It involves the realignment of around 7km of the N21 from Ballyduff, Knocknagoshel, Co. Kerry, to Kilconlea Lower, Co. Limerick, around 1km north of Feale’s Bridge. The proposed road will be a twolane road incorporating 5m-wide carriageways, 2.5mwide hard shoulder and 3m-wide verges. The proposed road runs through the Owveg River valley and portions of the townlands of Ballyduff, Knockbrack, Knocknagoshel East and Kilmaniheen West in Co. Kerry and Kilkinlea Lower in Co. Limerick. The river valley is situated at c. 90m OD and it is flanked to the east and west by higher ground rising to c. 250m OD. The Owveg River is a tributary of the River Feale, which forms the boundary between Kerry and Limerick in this area. The land is generally used for pasture; some of it is rough pasture with a growth of rushes. There has been a good deal of field amalgamation and land reclamation in the gently sloping land on the sides of the valley as well as the valley floor. However, large tracts of the more low-lying land are still very wet and marshy, with peat overlying clay subsoil.
03E1767 (centre-line testing)
A test-trench, 2m wide, was excavated continuously on the centre-line of the main route and side roads. Offsets were placed at intervals of 25m on either side of the centre-line. The location of trenches was set out along the proposed route by instrument survey using drawings provided by Kerry County Council. The centre-line and offset trenches were excavated in 76 fields. Testing produced five areas of archaeological significance. Two of these are fulachta fiadh located in a low-lying wet marshy area partially covered in peat in Kilmaniheen West. The fulacht fiadh in Field 53 was recorded at Chainage 5018–5035. The mound measured c. 11m by 9m by 0.5m deep. A low mound of unburnt stones abutted the mound to the south-east. A possible trough was located to the west. The fulacht fiadh in Field 56 was recorded at Chainage 5225. It measured c. 5m by 4m by 0.3m.
Three further areas of archaeological significance were identified by the presence of pits in Fields 25, 35 and 69. A large pit was recorded 20m west of Chainage 3300 in Field 25 in Knockbrack. Two pits and a post-hole with some stake-holes were recorded in Field 35, 20m east of Chainage 4000, in Knockbrack.
Scatters of burnt clay and charcoal and two pits were recorded in Field 69 at Chainage 6625 and 6650. No archaeological artefacts were recorded in any of the trenches, with the exception of a few sherds of modern white-glazed pottery recorded at Chainage 6400 in Kilmaniheen West.
A number of potential sites were identified in the archaeological assessment. They were investigated during this phase of works under separate licences.
03E1772 (R1)
This is recorded as a river crossing in the townland of Ballyduff. Two trenches were excavated on either side of the River Owveg at the southern end of the road corridor. All contained alluvial silts and gravel. No evidence of archaeology was uncovered.
03E1773 (AR09 &10)
The potential site is located in the townland of Knockbrack, overlooking the Owveg River valley on a steep, west-facing slope. The site consists of two, completely overgrown, similar subcircular depressions cut into the hillside, 50m apart.
A trench was excavated through each feature. No evidence of archaeological stratigraphy was uncovered. No information was obtained from the local landowner in relation to the origins of the depressions.
03E1774 (AR07)
This potential site is located in the townland of Kilmaniheen West. It was recorded as a probable fulacht fiadh situated in an area of marshy ground close to an existing field boundary. Four trenches were excavated in the area of the potential site. No archaeological stratigraphy or artefacts were recorded in any of the trenches.
03E1775 (AR08)
This site was located in the townland of Knockbrack and is noted on the first-edition OS map as a curved kink in a field bank. A test-trench was excavated in the area of the potential site. No archaeological stratigraphy or features were recorded in the area of the trench and the extension.
03E1776 (AR01)
A potential site was located in the townland of Kilkinlea Lower in County Limerick. It is an area of damp, marshy ground which contains a number of topographical anomalies. A number of trenches were excavated on the banks of the River Feale to the west of the Feale/Wellesley Bridge. Three were excavated on the northern bank and two on the southern bank of the Feale. Deep alluvial silts and gravel were recorded in all of the trenches. No archaeological stratigraphy or artefacts were recorded in any of them.
03E1777 (AR13)
This potential site in the townland of Knockbrack consists of a wide linear ditch feature running northwest/ south-east. It averages 10m in width. It has steep banks and a flat to rounded base. It is very overgrown with bramble and hedgerow vegetation. Two trenches were excavated on either side of the feature. No evidence of archaeology was uncovered. Local tradition states that it is a dried-up riverbed.
3 Canal Place, Tralee, Co. Kerry
