Ecclesiastical enclosure in Lios Deargáin

Calluragh burial ground (KE043-190002-): Situated on the SSW slopes of Croaghskearda, overlooking the broad expanse of low-lying land that surrounds Trabeg, this site consists of a large circular enclosure, in use until the 19th century as a calluragh burial ground (OSNB Cloghane, book 2, 14). Within it are a cross-inscribed pillar stone, a bullaun stone and a number of enigmatic features of uncertain origin. An Seabhac (1939, 147) mentions the site of a church (KE043-190005-) here but there is no trace of this now nor of the caves or souterrains (KE043-190006-) he mentions as occurring in the field to S of the enclosure. A turas formerly held at the site on Good Friday included a visit to the holy well located about 200m to NE (KE043-189----). The enclosure may originally have been circular but it has been truncated along its SW side by a NW-SE trackway and now measures 72m SE-NW x 63.4m NE-SW internally. It is for the most part enclosed by an earthen bank which averages 1.8m in height externally and 1.35m internally. This bank has been removed along the W sector but the outline of the enclosure can still be traced as a gentle drop of .2 to .4m from the interior to the external ground level. Along the SW sector, the site is defined by the trackway which lies c. 2.5m below the level of the interior. The featureless entrance gap at NE is c. 1.8m wide. The site is bisected SW-NE by a field wall. The only features visible on the NW side of this wall are a large circular hollow, c. 16m in diameter and .2 to .3m deep, with a wedge-shaped mound of earth and stones at its NE edge. The mound measures 2.2m NW-SE x 5.2m NE-SW x 1m in height and it is not clear whether it is simply an accumulation of field clearance debris or whether it is related to the use of the site as a calluragh burial ground and pilgrimage centre. Directly on the SE side of the field fence, in the approximate centre of the enclosure, is what appears to be the area specifically associated with burial. It consists of an irregular stony area with six 'coffin-shaped' mounds of stone lying to N of it, the whole measuring 23.5m NE-SW x 13.3m NW-SE. The mounds measure 1.5 to 1.9m in length, 1 to 1.5m in width and .3 to .5m in height. The cross pillar (KE043-190003-) stands on a low cairn, 1m in diameter and .22m high, at the E extremity of this area. It is .83m high and .41m wide and both faces are inscribed with a plain cross. The bullaun (KE043-190004-) is set into the ground beside the pillar stone. It is an irregularly-shaped stone, .53m x .34m, with an oval depression measuring .28m x .23m x .12m in depth. A crack or hole at the base of the depression has been filled in with concrete. The only other features visible at the site lie at its S edge and consist of a hollow measuring 5 x 6m, at the N edge of which are some low stony mounds similar to those near the cross-inscribed stone. At the S edge of the hollow, abutting the enclosing bank, is a rectangular area, 3 x 4m internally, which is enclosed by a low bank. It is not clear what these features represent. The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 867. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 8 August 2013