What is recorded here

Fire raged briefly in South-West Kerry, leaving a shallow oval pit packed with charcoal and burnt clay. The flames may have swirled around a small circular depression at the northern end, perhaps contained by a ring of stones. People tended that urgent heat for little more than a moment, then abandoned the mark. Seventy metres away, a holy well still waits in the pasture, suggesting the sudden fire belonged to a larger ritual life.

In pasture. An oval-shaped feature was uncovered during topsoil stripping prior to the development of a housing estate. The feature was rich in charcoal and burnt clay. The area was subsequently excavated to reveal a burnt shallow pit. The fire may have been concentrated in a circular depression (0.83m N-S; 0.8m E-W; D 0.05-0.12m), at the N end of the feature. A possible circular setting of stones was also evident in this area. According to Kiely (2004b), it would appear that this enigmatic area of burning was only in use for a short period of time as evidenced by the depth of the deposits. A holy well (KE093-012----) lies c. 70m to the ESE. (Kiely 2004b, 217; Walsh 2002) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Kerry. Volume I: South-West Kerry' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2009). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 30 May 2011

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