What is recorded here

Enclosure in Ballycarty stands on a limestone spur above marshy valley land, its conjoined banks reduced to thirty centimetres of sod-covered ridge. The river bends below, mountains frame every direction, and the eastern approach remains the only dry path across wet ground. People may have built there because the height commanded the passes, fords and water itself. A road nearly took the place before excavation revealed what the marsh had hidden.

The 'most northerly of the two conjoined enclosures' was described by Connolly (1999, 4-6) as follows; 'As part of the preparations for the construction of the new link road (N22) between Ballycarty Cross and the Killarney road, the Office of Public Works requested trial excavations on a portion of the proposed route through the townland of Ballycarty, 4km east of Tralee. The lands in question were situated on the west-facing slope of a limestone (Waulsortian) reef which runs for approximately 200m from the east, westward toward Tralee. The spur is one of the highest points on the floor of the broad, flat valley formed by the Stacks Mountains to the north-north-east and the Slieve Mish to the south-southwest. The River Lee rises in the Stacks Mountains and flows southward to the valley floor before curving sharply to the west on its course to the sea at Blennerville. The river is fed by streams from both mountain ranges. The central location of the spur, close to the broad bend of the river, affords expansive views in al directions, including the most accessible passes through the flanking mountains and two fording-points on the River Lee. The low-lying land around the spur is recorded on early maps as being marshy and this would have given the spur all the appearance of a promontory, the only dry approach being from the east. The spur itself is composed of Carboniferous limestone with a minimal soil cover and contains an extraordinary wealth of fossil evidence. The maximum height of the spur is 32m above sea-level (OD), while the maximum height of the area under investigation is 29.5m. The features on the reef consist of six main elements: (1) the ramparts [KE038-076----], (2) the causeway [KE038-077----], (3) smaller enclosures [KE038-078----], (4) the hilltop enclosure or henge [KE038-022----], (5) quarry ditches, and (6) the cairns. The area of excavation will be described separately as the seventh element of the site. (3) The smaller enclosures The final two features on the eastern end of the spur lie directly outside the eastern end of the causeway [KE038-077----] and take the form of two conjoined subcircular enclosures. The more northerly of the two measures 16.8m north-south by 13.7m east-west externally and 11.5m north-south by 5.4m east-west internally. The enclosing bank is completely sod covered and very denuded, remaining only to an average height of 0.33m, with an average width of 4.6m'. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on information supplied by Michael Connolly, County Archaeologist, Kerry Co. Co. Date of upload: 18 May 2022

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