2019:438 - Coolnaleen Lower 4, Kerry

Stage (iii) Excavation was carried out between 25 and 31 July 2019 at the site of Coolnaleen Lower 4 in advance of construction of the N69 Listowel Bypass Scheme, Co. Kerry. The work was carried out under Ministerial Direction number A076 and Registration numbers E005065 (Excavation) and R000507 (Metal Detection), on behalf of Kerry County Council. The site was discovered in the south of the scheme in the townland of Coolnaleen Lower during advance Stage (i) Test Excavations undertaken in 2018 by AMS.
The site consisted of fourteen pits and a single stake-hole. No structural pattern was present within the arrangement of pits and the stake-hole. No artefacts were recovered and no date or function could be ascertained for the features during the on-site excavation phase. Later post-medieval agricultural features including a field boundary ditch, a drainage ditch, field drains and furrows, were also recorded. The majority of the archaeological features were quite shallow and appear to have been greatly reduced by later agricultural practices such as ploughing.
A levelled ringfort (KE010-075) is located c. 75m west of the site and the features may be related to activity dating to the medieval period. However, three of the pits produced small amounts of heat-shattered stones, indicative of a site engaged in hot-stone technology and a prehistoric date.
Post-excavation analysis is ongoing and it is hoped that specialist reports, including radiocarbon dating, charcoal analysis and comparative research, will further enhance our understanding of the site.

Archaeological Management Solutions Ltd., Unit 1, Hector Street Mills, Kilrush, Co. Clare.