What is recorded here

Children's burial ground in Ardcost, County Kerry, Ireland. In a sloping field above Portmagee Channel, a low rectangle of stone and soil holds about eighty small boulders and upright slabs, some quartz, with five large blocks near the west edge. The land is unmarked on modern maps, yet the shape and stones suggest a place set apart for the smallest dead. To walk past it is to enter a quiet room where childhood ended before it had time to be remembered.

This site, not marked on the OS maps, is known locally as a ceallúnach and is located in a sloping field over-looking the Portmagee Channel. It consists of a stony area of approximately rectangular plan, measuring 10.8m N-S x 8.7m E-W, and is raised an average of .4m above surrounding ground level. A row of five large blocks occurs close to its W edge. The surface of the interior is uneven and features about eighty small boulders and upright slabs, some of which are quartz. The above description is derived from O'Sullivan, A. and Sheehan, J. (compilers) 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University press. (1996), no. 976. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 18 June 2013

A Neolithic children's burial ground; significant as a rare example of a specialised funerary site for infant or child burials in the Irish tradition.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.