County: Kerry Site name: Ballahacommane
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 00E0016 ext.
Author: John O’Connor, Ballingoola, Grange, Co. Limerick.
Site type: Monitoring
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 502403m, N 590446m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.057373, -9.423190
Monitoring of Phase 13 of the groundworks at Ballahacommane, Killarney, Co. Kerry, was carried out from 2 to 31 July and from 7 to 10 August 2007. The site is located about 7km south-east of Killarney town, just off the N72, and consists of c. 100 acres of land, much of which is covered by a blanket bog. The development involves the phased clearance and excavation of a sand and gravel quarry.
The quarry is situated in the lowlands between the hill of Ballahacommane to the north and the River Flesk to the south. The site is bounded to the east by a tributary of the River Flesk. The Macgillycuddy and Derrynasaggart mountain ranges dominate the site to the south. The stone cairns on the summits of the Paps of Anu are clearly visible from the site.
Although no archaeological features have been located on the site in the previous phases of monitoring by Damian Finn (Excavations 2000, No. 408; Excavations 2001, No. 540; Excavations 2002, No. 766), Ruth Elliot (Excavations 2002, No. 765) and the writer (Excavations 2003, No. 770; Excavations 2004, No. 717; Excavations 2005, No. 661; Excavations 2006, No. 854), a number of Bronze Age sites are known in the immediate vicinity of the quarry, increasing the likelihood that some archaeological features may remain.
Phase 13 of the works involved the stripping of c. 4.6ha of blanket bog in Areas 1 and 2.
Nothing of archaeological significance was discovered as a result of this phase of the works.
