Souterrain in Kealduff Upper

This souterrain, not marked on the OS maps, was discovered in 1975 in a derelict farmyard and was subsequently inspected by Ryan (NMI). Now inaccessible, the following description of the structure is based on Ryan's report (1976, 5-10). It consists of a short entrance passage, three chambers linked by creepways, and a narrow passage of indeterminate length. It was constructed using both tunnelling and drystone building techniques. The downward sloping entrance passage is 1.2m long and .7m wide. It is drystone-built and roofed with lintels. A lintelled opening at its SE end leads into the first chamber, 2.2m NE-SW x 1m NW-SE, set at right angles to the passage. Its NE end is earth-cut and its side-walls are drystone-built. Roofed by three large lintels, the floor of the chamber inclines steeply down towards SE, where an opening, framed by a pair of jambs and a lintel, leads into a tunnelled creepway, .65m x .5m x 1.2m long, through which access is gained to the second chamber. This, measuring 2.6m NW-SE x 1.2m NE-SW x 1.25m high, is roughly rectangular in plan and its drystone side-walls corbel towards the lintelled roof. In the NW end-wall an arch stone frames the entrance to a drystone-built creepway which leads into the inaccessible third chamber. Examination from the surface indicated that this is a roughly rectangular chamber, c. 4m x 2m. A narrow, tapering passage extends for at least 2m from the SE end of the second chamber. It is roofed by slabs for c. 1.3m of its length, beyond which it is tunnelled. 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. 888. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 29 July 2013