A restored medieval stone fort with a commanding view of the west Kerry coastline was officially opened to the public yesterday.
The Ballnavenooragh stone fort, on the western slopes of Mount Brandon on the Dingle peninsula, was excavated by the Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne for four years. The archaeologist who directed the excavation, Ms Erin Gibbons, said its discovery had "implications for our understanding of regional and national trends for the medieval period". Many archaeological remains had been destroyed in the past 150 years by improvements in farming. Kerry had had "one of the highest rates of destruction of archaeological sites in the whole country" and there was a particular absence of well-preserved organic remains from the medieval towns of Dingle and Tralee.
The fort was the home of a wealthy farmer and was probably built between the eighth and 10th centuries and occupied until the 13th century. Defence was important because conflict over land and cattle was common. A circular enclosing wall survives to a height of 2.5 metres and is up to 3.5 metres thick. Inside the wall, a large two-roomed house and underground chamber were found.
The fort overlooks Cuas to the north, the harbour traditionally associated with St Brendan. The mouth of Smerwick Harbour can be seen to the south. One of the Blasket islands, Tiaracht, is visible on the southern horizon.
Most of the finds during the excavation were simple stone tools. A few fragments of imported pottery from the eastern Mediterranean were also found. The fragments generally date from the sixth century and are probably associated with an earlier settlement on the site. The remains of three beehive huts were found in an adjoining field fence.
The occupants of the medieval site made their own metal. Two iron knives, a fragment of a miniature iron saw and a piece of crucible used for pouring molten metal were found during the excavation. Two mid-13th century Henry III pennies and a lead weight were also found.
