This is the ninth volume of the TII Heritage series, focusing on the excavation in advance of the construction of the Tralee bypass. This area had relatively little archaeological investigation prior to these excavations, thus the information in this book forms a significant increase in our knowledge of the country around Tralee. Like previous volumes, this book provides summaries of the excavations in each townland of the route followed by chapters of overall analysis. Chapter 3 provides an overview of the environmental conditions of the landscape, the subsequent chapters discuss the findings of the excavation by period. The appendix includes details of all the radiocarbon dates taken from the excavations.
Prehistoric settlement in the area was fairly limited, although the excavations did produce significantly more evidence than was previously known. One pit produced charcoal dating to the Mesolithic period, but most of the settlement evidence was from the Neolithic. Alongside the scattered settlement and pottery were several burnt mounds, indicating the use of hot-stone technology. Only the mound at Caherleheen 1 was firmly dated to the Late Neolithic, others spanned the Late Neolithic and Copper Age. Excavations at Ballingowan revealed an enigmatic monument, this was a double row of evenly spaced pits that probably held timber posts. This site has few parallels in Ireland, primarily Ballynahatty and Newgrange, but there are several pit alignments in northern England, such as Ebberston Common and Thornborough (North York Moors). This may have been some form of sacred processional route leading to funerary and ceremonial monuments in the landscape.
The Bronze Age showed the most evidence for settlement, with five buildings at various sites along the road. Most of these buildings were circular or sub-circular, only the structure at Manor East 1 was rectangular. Cereal grains found on the settlement sites indicate the growth and consumption of cereals, including oats and barley. Cattle were also present, with the identification of a droveway at Ballingowan 1; this was a set or parallel ditches, topped with hedges, leading to an enclosure at the edge of stream which would have flooded seasonally. Burnt mounds were also common monuments, with 16 found along the route of the road. Two cremation burials were also dated to the Bronze Age.
Iron Age sites revealed evidence of cereal processing and iron working. The site at Ballingown 1 had a series of four post structures that were interpreted as raised granaries for the storage and preservation of collected grain. Also at Ballingown 1 was a rock-cut smelting furnace for iron-working, while at Ballinorig West 4 there was a charcoal production pit. A ring-ditch with 10 cremation burials was found at Ballinorig West 4.
Sites dating to the early medieval period included a bivallate enclosure (Ballinorig West 1), sub circular structures, cereal drying kilns, and an industrial area for metalworking. The buildings at Ballingowan 1 and Knockawaddra Middle 2 appear to have been unenclosed settlements. The small industrial areas related to ironworking (Knockawaddra West 2 and Ballinorig West 4) suggests that farmers had the skills to produce iron tools.
The main evidence for the post-medieval period was found at Lismore 1, where three vernacular buildings and a limekiln were excavated. These buildings correspond to ones marked on the first-edition Ordnance Survey six-inch map, thus they were still standing in 1841 when the land was surveyed. Limekilns were excavated at six sites along the road, providing lime for building mortar and for spreading on the fields to improve the agricultural land.
This volume provides many new insights into past life in the Vale of Tralee, increasing our understanding of most periods. The structure of the book makes it easy to see the findings from each period, as the chapters of the second half of the book focus on periods rather than sites. The illustrations and tables are produced to the high standard that is the norm in the TII series. Although the book is about the landscape around Tralee, it has many important findings that are relevant for sites across Ireland. The Late Neolithic ritual structure and Bronze Age droveway at Ballingowan have parallels elsewhere in Ireland and can increase our knowledge of these little-known monuments.