County: Kerry Site name: REA TO TULLIG ROAD REALIGNMENT SCHEME
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 11E0298 and 11E0298 ext.
Author: Patricia Long
Site type: Various
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 492784m, N 601449m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.154460, -9.566867
Test excavations were carried out on behalf of Kerry County Council in conjunction with the Kerry National Roads Design Office, Castleisland, Co. Kerry. The works were undertaken as part of the archaeological services contract prior to the commencement of construction works associated with the N69 Rea to Tullig road realignment scheme.
Fifty-seven test trenches were excavated in eleven fields in August 2011, comprising a total of 3,208 linear metres of trenching. Following a revision to the CPO, an extension to the excavation licence was granted and five test trenches totalling 127.3m were excavated in Field 12 in October 2011.
Three areas of archaeological potential were identified during the course of testing. Stage (ii) investigations involved topsoil removal in specified areas surrounding these areas of potential. These areas were cleaned by hand and this confirmed the presence of archaeological features at three locations along the route. The features comprised a spread of metal-working waste material and three possible charcoal-production pits in Field 3 (Cloonnafinneela 1), an area of burning, a pit and a linear feature in Field 5 (Cloonnafinneela 2) and an isolated stone-filled pit in Field 12 (Gortclohy 1).
Full excavation of the three sites was carried out under licence numbers 11E0354, 11E0355 and 11E0434 in September/October 2011. (See above, Nos 311, 312 and 321.)
Rubicon Heritage Services Ltd, Unit 1, Wallingstown Business Park, Little Island, Cork
