2017:828 - BEAUFORT, Kerry

Archaeological excavation was undertaken with regard to a planning application to construct a single house dwelling at Beaufort, Co. Kerry. Previous testing undertaken at the site in 2016 (licence no. 16E0136) had found what was interpreted as a possible corn-drying kiln (KE065-136).

An area of c.62m² of topsoil was incrementally removed by a mechanical excavator around the feature (using the coordinates from the testing) and all other excavation work was completed using hand tools. The uncovered features comprise a sub-rectangular hearth, two small conjoined shallow pits and an amorphous truncated large pit of which little or nothing can be deduced from the surviving remains. There was no stone lining or bowl shape or connecting flue noted. The excavated evidence to date demonstrates that there is no archaeological proof, morphologically, artefactually or archaeo-botanically to support the original interpretation that this feature was part of a corn-drying kiln.