County: Kerry Site name: Ballinvarrig
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 19E0052 ext.
Author: Laurence Dunne
Site type: Post-holes, stake-holes, pits, curvilinear ditch
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 490772m, N 603620m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.173573, -9.596957
Excavation of six areas (Areas 1-6) of archaeological interest discovered in Ballinvarrig townland, Co. Kerry in late May 2020 (Dune 2020) took place in July 2021. Area 1 (c.47m x 16m) was opened where the large spread of introduced mixed material with slag and modern objects was found during testing. Three cuttings (Cutting 1-3) were excavated by hand across the area where the concentration of dark material was most visible.
Excavation confirmed the spread was introduced material brought in to level and dry this part of the field in the past. A series of parallel, narrow, machine-made drains were also recorded beneath the spread material traversing the area running north-west/south-east forming a regular pattern. All the drains were filled with gravel material.
Area 2 (c.9m x 6.5m) revealed a total fourteen features: two pits, three possible post-holes and nine stake-holes. The most distinctive feature within the area was a pit with a red heat-affected layer at the top and a layer of the stones at the base. Three stone artefacts were recovered from the feature including a saddle quern stone, a heat-affected rubbing stone broken in two pieces and a fragment of heat-shattered rubbing stone. A flint flake was recovered from the area during testing.
Area 3 (14.5m x 11m) contained seven stake-holes in the central part and an agricultural furrow in the southern corner. No artefacts were recovered from Area 3.
Area 4 (8.5m x 8m) was opened north-east of Area 2. In total seven pits and two spreads were recorded within it. Most of the fills of the features consisted of soft charcoal-rich material with varying amounts of heat-shattered stones. Four artefacts were recovered from Area 4 including three rubbing stone fragments and one possible flint scraper.
Area 5 (17m x 13m) was opened south-west of Area 3. The main feature within the area was a curvilinear narrow ditch. Eight post-holes were recorded, of which seven were situated within the curvilinear ditch and one just outside the eastern side of it. Also, two pits were recorded outside of the curvilinear ditch and a shallow spread on the inside of it. No artefacts were found within the area.
Area 6 (8.7m x 7m) was opened south-east of Area 2. In total three pits and one possible stake-hole were recorded within the area. No artefacts were recovered from the area.
Reference:
Dunne, L. (2020) Archaeological Testing Report Ballinvarrig Co. Kerry, Licence No. 19E0052. Unpublished Laurence Dunne Archaeology report.
3 Lios na Lohart, Ballyvelly, Tralee Co. Kerry
