What is recorded here

Ráth na nÓg, meaning children's fort, marked a burial ground for the young in County Kerry. Little mounds once dotted the soil beside the Anascaul to Tralee road, waiting for adults to remember what they held. Men with excavators later broke the northern edge, yet no bones appeared, as if the children had already left or never belonged to the dirt at all. Shadows of lost infants still move through the trees and traffic, unseen but present, carrying the quiet weight of names no longer spoken.

This site is known locally as a children's burial ground and formerly contained numerous little mounds (local information). It straddled the main Anascaul to Tralee road and the S part is now occupied by a tree plantation and the N part has been destroyed by a mechanical excavator. No bones or graves were revealed by the latter. According to Ashe (1954, 27) the site was named Ráth na nÓg. The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 905. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 7 August 2013

This remains an important historical record, but the official description says the monument is no longer visible or has been destroyed. The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.