Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Mine
Ballydunlea, County Kerry, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Ballydunlea
- County
- Kerry
- Country
- Ireland
- Coordinates
- 52.22607, -9.71687
- SMR number
- KE038-116----
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1753 "Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
'Located close to sites [KE038-126001-, KE038-126002-], above, this feature is located on the western side of the Finglas River near the head of Scotia’s Glen and is known locally as a ‘mine’ where so called ‘Kerry Diamonds’ can be found in abundance. Collapse of rock from the steep western side of the glen at this point has exposed an 8.5m deep vertical vein of boulder clay, surrounded by red sandstone bedrock.This clay contains large quantities of quartz, rock crystal, feldspar and so called ‘Kerry Diamonds’ or amethyst. However, jasper, chert, pebble flint and greenstone also occur in this glacially derived stratum. The local tradition and occurrence of a wide variety of materials in this clay may suggest this as a location for the gathering/extraction of the large numbers of rock crystal artefacts from excavations in the Tralee area.'
Description from ‘The Prehistoric Settlement of the Lee Valley, Tralee, Co. Kerry; A Landscape Perspective’ by Michael Connolly. PhD Thesis UCC 2008
Date of upload: 20 June 2012
Nearby in the register
- Moundunder 1 mi
- Hut siteunder 1 mi
- Barrow - unclassifiedunder 1 mi
- Hut siteunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.