County: Kerry Site name: TRALEE: Rahoonane
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 04E1242
Author: Niamh O’Callaghan, Barrow Archaeological Services
Site type: Cremated remains
Period/Dating: Multi-period
ITM: E 484105m, N 615203m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.276285, -9.698350
Monitoring was undertaken in two phases on the site of a large residential development in the townland of Rahoonane off Brewery Road, Tralee. Topsoil comprised dark-brown silt, which varied in depth from 0.2m on higher ground to 0.5m downslope and adjacent to The Big River. One feature, a deposit of cremated bone, was recorded 6m north of the river in the south-east corner. There were no other features associated with the deposit, which was composed of densely packed, highly fragmented cremated bone (total weight c. 10kg). Fragments of unburnt bone were mixed with the deposit and located beside it, together with flecks of charcoal, lime and oyster shells. The deposit measured 1.5m by 0.4m and was 20mm deep.
The deposit was initially examined by Catryn Power (Physical Anthropologist) and it was established that no human bone was identifiable and that all identified diagnostic bone from a representative sample was faunal. The deposit was then examined by Dr Emily Murray (QUB), who concluded that the deposit mostly comprised cattle horncore and skull fragments and that, due to the degree of fragmentation and intensity of burning, the bones may have been used as fuel. Also, the apparent presence of skull parts to the mutual exclusion of other skeletal elements would suggest that they represent primary butchery waste and may have originated from a slaughterhouse or market.
Two radiocarbon dates were achieved from the deposit, the unburnt bone returned a 2 sigma AMS date of cal AD 1687–1796, while the cremated bone returned a 2 sigma date of cal AD 1336–1395 (GrA-29937 and GrA-29946, respectively).
Sandy Lane, Barrow, Ardfert, Co. Kerry
