Archaeological excavation report, 99E0132 Ballydywer West Kerry, County Kerry

The site was first discovered during the Archaeological Impact Assessment carried out in 1997. This enclosure is oval in shape, and consists of a substantial earthen bank, minimum 10m in width, and up to 1m in height above surrounding ground level. This encloses an area measuring 60m north-south by 30m east-west. Examination of the enclosing element, by test trenching did not reveal any conclusive evidence of being a man-made construction. However, examination of the interior showed that the ground sloped away dramatically, almost from the base of the enclosing bank. This also showed a substantial depth of peat, (2.00m at the western end of trench B). This was not the full depth of the peat, but could not be excavated further because of safety reasons. There was then a possibility that this site may have a ceremonial dimension. It was not unlike an artificial pond in Couny Armagh, known as the Kings Stables, where archaeological artefacts had been ritually deposited into the water held in the interior. The steep slope of the interior at Ballydwyer West meant that artefact recovery would be a distinct possibility at this site. The bank of the site itself did not appear to be entirely artificially created, but may have been partly augmented on its interior. The depth of the peat in the interior attested to the antiquity of the site, and it seemed also to be a strong indication of an independent water source in the interior, possibly a spring. This was the premise on which the further investigation of the feature at Ballydwyer was undertaken. The feature was stripped of topsoil to reveal the enclosing bank and peat filled interior. A systematic removal of the peat on the interior was then undertaken by hand. These further investigations proved that the feature was of no archaeological significance. NOTE: THE GRID REFERENCE GIVEN IN THIS REPORT IS INCORRECT, CORRECT COORDINATES ARE INCLUDED IN THE METADATA.