Souterrain in Beaufort

This souterrain was excavated in the early 1990s (Connolly 1992, 20-38) following its discovery during the digging of house foundations within a small housing estate. It consists of two stone-built chambers connected by a short stone-built creepway. Chamber 1 (4.55m NW-SE; 1.7m NE-SW; H 1.63m) has a distinct inward batter and its SE end is corbelled. It was roofed with six stone lintels (average dims: 0.59m x 1.25m x 0.17m), four of which were in situ and two of which lay on the ground beside the souterrain at the time of the excavation. Chamber 2 also has a distinct inward batter and is roofed with lintels. An opening (Wth 0.48m; H 0.43m) in the NW end of Chamber 1 and another (Wth 0.42m; H 0.49m) at the S end of Chamber 2 lead into the creepway (1.1m N-S) which is roofed by three flat lintels. Further investigations in 1995, prior to the resealing of the souterrain, identified an unroofed steeply rising entrance passage (L 1.48m; Wth 1m) at the N end of chamber 2 (3.22m N-S; c. 1.35m E-W; H 1.57m) (Connolly 1996, 39-40). A tanged iron sickle, of early medieval date, was found inserted between two stones of the side-wall in the entrance passage (Connolly 1992, 25-34). 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