Midden

The National Monuments Service's description

This midden was desribed in Cuppage (1986, no. 12) as follows: 'Exposed in the cliff-face beneath the sand-dunes, on the N side of Fermoyle island, is a small midden, 3.4m long and up to .8m deep. It is made up of 2 layers, the uppermost containing charcoal and cockle and limpet shells, the lower layer containing some burnt stone in a light-brown sandy soil. The site is situated close to a ruined lime kiln and may be associated with it. (information: A. McCarthy)'

In 2002 Prof. Peter Woodman undertook the cleaning down of the exposed face of the midden (Licence No. 02E1464): The following account is derived from the Excavations bulletin: ‘A small shell mound was observed in the face of an eroding sea cliff, just over 50m to the west of the limekiln and shell midden noted in the Archaeological survey of the Dingle Peninsula (Cuppage 1986 et al., 15, no. 12). In this locality the cliff has been eroded back 2–3m in the last twenty years, and as a result this small shell mound has been exposed. The mound lay within a palaeosol, which appeared to rest on a wave-cut platform that in places was covered by up to 2m of sand. Excavation consisted of cleaning the cliff face in the immediate vicinity of the shell mound, recording the section face and excavating back for a distance of c. 0.15m. This showed that the mound of shells was within a shallow artificial depression or pit, c. 0.8m wide and up to 0.12m deep. It was filled exclusively with cockle shells in a dark, charcoal-rich soil. There were a number of burnt stones in the western half of the pit, and the shells in the eastern end were usually unopened. The colour of the base of the shallow pit changed to red. Although some other shells were found on either side of the pit, as were some charcoal flecks, there were no significant traces of activity in the vicinity.’ (Cuppage 1986, no. 12) A radio-carbon determination from a shell was returned as having an Iron Age date (pers. comm. M. Dowd). The shell midden has been totally removed by the sea and no trace remains (ibid.).

Revised by: Paul Walsh

Revised date of upload: 21 February 2017

References

Cuppage, J. 1986 Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne.