County: Kerry Site name: GORTBRACK EAST 3
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E004302
Author: James Hession
Site type: Fulacht fiadh
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 488516m, N 610291m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.233063, -9.632118
Excavations were undertaken at Gortbrack East 3 on behalf of Kerry County Council as part of Stage (iii) of the Archaeological Services Contract prior to the commencement of construction of the N22 Tralee Bypass/Tralee to Bealagrellagh, which extends from Lissatanvally townland to Flemby townland. Excavation revealed evidence of a single phase of activity. The features identified included three pits and an overlying burnt mound.
The first pit was oval in plan and had maximum dimensions of 0.75m by 0.5m by 0.25m deep. It contained two fills. The basal fill consisted of a black, loosely compacted peat containing many heat-affected stones and charcoal. The upper fill was loosely compacted greyish-black silty clay with very frequent large stones and occasional charcoal.
Approximately 1.5m to the north-west was a keyhole-shaped pit. This measured 1.3m in length, 0.67m in width and 0.47m in depth. It was filled by black silty clay, which contained many heat-affected stones.
A third pit, measuring 1.4m long by 0.7m wide by 0.24m deep, was located approximately 1.5m to the east-north-east. This was oval in plan and contained blackish-brown, firmly compacted silty clay with many heat-affected stones and charcoal.
Overlying the pits was a burnt mound, which was comprised of blackish-brown, firmly compacted silty clay with frequent inclusions of heat-affected stone and charcoal. This measured 9m in length (north–south), 5.6m in width and 0.3m in depth.
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