Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Midden
Beginish (Iveragh By.), County Kerry, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Beginish (Iveragh By.)
- County
- Kerry
- Country
- Ireland
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 51.93761, -10.29760
- SMR number
- KE079-028----
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
4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1753 map "Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Historical maps covering this location
- 1753 · Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1841 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
The N side of the sandy isthmus that joins the western end of Beginish Island to Canroe is heavily eroded. The erosion has exposed a shell midden 14m from the high water mark, as well as a number of old field walls (KE079-031001-) built of water-rolled stones. The exposed deposit is an irregular spread of shells and stones that measures 4.1m NW-SE x 2m NE-SW and averages .2m thick. Though composed mainly of limpets, the midden also contains scallop and oyster shells. The stones are water-rolled pebbles, many of which are shattered, and the deposit also includes animal bone and some red deer teeth. A sample of limpet shells from the midden yielded a radiocarbon date of 2380±50 BP (Su-1788).
In 1983 a stone axehead was found protruding from the edge of the midden, and in 1988 a granite pounder with abraded ends was found resting on its upper surface. Both objects are now in NMI (1988:221; 1988:222).
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. 3. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.
Date of upload: 28 July 2013
Nearby in the register
- Metalworking siteunder 1 mi
- Metalworking siteunder 1 mi
- Enclosureunder 1 mi
- Enclosureunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.