What is recorded here

Dotted outline is a children's burial ground in County Kerry, Ireland, marked on early maps as a circular ring of dots. The field is named Páirc an Leasa, and a cross-inscribed ogham stone once topped a small D-shaped clochaun inside the enclosure. Hitchcock removed that stone and a quernstone, sending them to the Royal Irish Academy, while the earth itself was quarried for road metal. Quartz stones still scatter the site, perhaps placed to mark the smallest graves.

Children's burial ground described by Cuppage (1986, 226, no. 699) as follows; 'This site was marked on the 1st edition of the OS map as a circular ring of dots. It is known locally as a fort and was identified by Hitchcock (1853, 401-3) as a rath. The field in which it is located is named 'Páirc an Leasa'. A cross-inscribed ogham stone [KE044-094002-] formerly acted as a lintel over the doorway to a D-shaped clochaun [KE044-094001-] which stood within the enclosure. This was removed by Hitchcock and presented to the Royal Irish Academy, along with a quernstone also found at the site. The ogham stone is now preserved in the NMI. Ringfort [KE044-094----]: The site is severely disturbed and has been used as a quarry for road metal. Its E half is now occupied by an amorphous group of pits and mounds, but a curving bank of earth and stone can be traced around the W half of the site. The area covered by these features measures 23.5m N-S and 23m E-W. Windele (1848, 468-70) was locally informed that the site had been used as a burial ground for children but not within living memory. Some quartz stones scattered about the site today could have been introduced to mark burials'. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 7 April 2022

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