County: Kerry Site name: AN BHÁNÓG THEAS 3 (BANOGUE SOUTH 3)
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: E004748
Author: Bruce Sutton IAC Ltd
Site type: BURNT MOUND
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 454525m, N 601460m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.145810, -10.125632
Stage (iii) archaeological excavation at An Bhánóg Theas 3 (Ministerial Direction No.: A070) was undertaken in advance of the N86 Lispole to Ballynasare Lower & Ballygarret to Camp Road Improvement Scheme in County Kerry. All works were funded by Transport Infractructure Ireland (TII).
An Bhánóg Theas 3 was a burnt mound comprising two circular troughs and associated burnt mound deposits. The burnt mound measured 9.4m by 6.4m. It was horseshoe shaped in plan, extending out from the southern baulk, which consisted of an earthen field boundary bank and a stream flowing from west to east. The main mound material was black silty clay with very many heat-shattered stones. The excavated portion of the mound was 9.4m east–west by 6.4m and was 0.5 m in height. The full extent of the mound was not reached within the excavation area as it extended under the baulk (field boundary) at the southern end of the excavation area.
Two troughs were associated with the burnt mound . Rectangular trough C11 was 1.82m long, 1.5m wide and 0.2m deep. Two post-holes were located at its south-east corner, possibly to support an overhanging feature. All three features were filled with waterlogged mound material with frequent heat-shattered stone. Trough C11 was truncated in the north-west corner by circular trough C17, the basal fill of which was very charcoal-rich. This material appeared to have settled under and around a series of overlapping flat stones, which lined the base of the trough. The three stones were similar in size being 0.65m x 0.47m x 0.06m, 0.63m x 0.47m x 0.03m and 0.62m x 0.55m x 0.05m. The upper fill of the trough appears to have been the result of natural siltation after the trough had fallen out of use.
A copy of the final excavation report has been published in the TII Digital Heritage Collections on the Digital Repository of Ireland. It can be accessed with this link https://doi.org/10.7486/DRI.gq67zd277.
A report on the excavations undertaken on this road scheme has been published: Sutton, B. (2020) ‘Transience and Permanency – Four Thousand years of settlement on the Dingle Peninsula: Archaeological Excavations near Lispole and Camp in advance of the N86 Road Scheme (2015-2016)’. Journal of the Kerry Archaeological and Historical Society, Series 2, Vol 19 (2019), pg. 35–62 (https://www.kerryhistory.ie/product/series-2-vol-19-2019/).
Unit G1, Network Enterprise Park, Kilcoole, Co Wicklow
