Midden in Dooaghs

The most southerly of the Dooaghs middens is located in a low cliff-face above the shoreline immediately NE of Caragh Creek estuary. It occurs intermittently along a 45m stretch and directly overlies a black sod layer at its S end. Elsewhere it is separated from this layer by underlying deposits of sand, and lenses of sand occasionally separate the midden itself. The midden varies from .04m to .3m thick and is covered by an average depth of .8m of sand. It is chiefly composed of cockle and mussel shells, with some periwinkles and stone occurring throughout. 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. 9. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 28 July 2013