County: Kerry Site name: Emlagh West, Dingle
Sites and Monuments Record No.: KE053–016(01, 02) Licence number: 06E1082; 06R200
Author: Laurence Dunne and Karen Buckley, Eachtra Archaeological Projects, 3 Lios Na Lohart, Ballyvelly, Tralee, Co. Kerry.
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 444613m, N 600796m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.137153, -10.270031
Twenty-eight archaeological test-trenches as a component part of an EIS were excavated at a proposed development site in Emlagh West townland, on the south-western side of Dingle town, Co. Kerry.
KE053–016 (‘rath site’), KE053–016:01 (‘souterrain’) and KE053–016:02 (‘ogham stone’) are recorded within the site, though the ogham stone is now located in Museum Chorca Dhuibhne in Baile an Fheirtéaraigh, eight miles west of Dingle.
In 1993, during the construction of the Dingle Area Sewerage Plant, four souterrains were discovered, though ‘chambers’ is a more apt term, c. 90m south-west of the site and these were subsequently excavated by Michael Connolly (Excavations 1993, No. 122, 93E0080). An examination of the first- and second-edition OS maps reveals part of a curving field bank in this area, directly underneath which was one of the chambers. The discovery and excavation of these chambers, combined with the negative results from the testing programme outlined below, means it is likely that the locations of the monuments was incorrectly recorded during the RMP survey.
The topsoil varied from a soft light-brownish-grey silty clay to a dark-brown silty clay, while the depth also varied from 0.35m to 0.6m. The subsoil also differed across the site, ranging from a mottled grey/yellow silty clay with occasional stone inclusions to an orange silty clay with frequent pockets of stone to a yellowish-white silty clay.
Modern agricultural activity was recorded within the trenches in the form of plough furrows, while a meandering earth-cut drain was also recorded. The ditch varied in width from 1.4m to 0.7m and in depth from 0.5m to 0.1m. Three sections were excavated through the ditch, but the fill was found to be sterile in nature.
Two large natural depressions within the site were infilled with modern material, presumably in an attempt to level out the field. Modern finds such as plastic, metal and modern pottery sherds were recorded within the infill.
A metal-detection device (metal detector C scope CS7) was used to scan the spoil excavated from test-trenches, with particular concentration on the trenches that traversed the recorded location of KE053–016, under licence number 06R200.
No traces of the monuments were recorded within the site.
Nothing of archaeological significance was recorded during wider testing of the site.
