What is recorded here

Midden in Abbey Island is a four-metre band of limpet and periwinkle shells trapped in dark stony soil on the north shore of Darrynane Bay. Half a metre of sand now smotheres the meal remains, yet the tidy layer suggests people sat there, ate, discarded the shells and left before the sea could scatter them. The bay may have been busy enough to fill a shallow ditch, then quiet enough to bury it.

This small midden is exposed in section on the N shoreline of Abbey Island, on the W side of Darrynane Bay. Measuring 4m long and .2m in maximum thickness, it is composed of limpet and periwinkle shells in a band of dark brown, stony soil. It is overlain by .6m of sand (information: M. Mullins). The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 1. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 28 July 2013

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