Hut site, Com Dhíneol Thuaidh, Co. Kerry

Co. Kerry |

Settlement Sites

Hut site, Com Dhíneol Thuaidh, Co. Kerry

On the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, a small stone structure sits in the townland of Com Dhíneol Thuaidh, barely a metre high and shaped, as surveyors have noted, like a pear.

It is easy to overlook entirely, which is perhaps part of what makes it worth knowing about. Built using corbelled drystone construction, a technique in which stones are laid in overlapping horizontal courses, each projecting slightly inward until the courses meet and close the roof without mortar or timber, the hut measures just 3.3 metres by 1.7 metres. It is a remarkably compact piece of architecture, and the pear shape suggests a careful, deliberate plan rather than an improvised pile of fieldstone.

The structure was recorded by J. Cuppage in the 1986 Corca Dhuibhne archaeological survey of the Dingle Peninsula, a landmark study of one of Ireland's most densely layered archaeological landscapes. The peninsula, jutting into the Atlantic in southwest Kerry, preserves an unusual concentration of early medieval and prehistoric remains, many of them associated with monastic settlement, farming, and seasonal habitation. Corbelled stone huts of this kind are sometimes associated with early Christian hermit activity or with clochán traditions, though attributing a precise function or period to any individual example without excavation is difficult. What the dimensions do suggest is a structure intended for one person, or at most for shelter and storage rather than communal use.

Rated 0 out of 5

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of Pete F
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Hut site, Com Dhíneol Thuaidh, Co. Kerry. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 100 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement