Field boundary, An Chaisleach, Co. Kerry

Co. Kerry |

Ritual/Ceremonial

Field boundary, An Chaisleach, Co. Kerry

Beneath the bog at An Chaisleach, on the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, lies a boundary wall that was already ancient when the peat began to swallow it.

What remains visible today is a modest thing: a roughly straight line of boulders running north to south for about ten metres, trailing off into the bog at both ends as though the land simply absorbed it. A short section reappears just south of the modern road, and intermittent stretches of an intersecting wall are visible to the north, hinting at a more complex pattern of enclosure buried below.

Pre-bog walls are encountered periodically across the wetter uplands of Ireland, and they carry a particular kind of significance. They predate the formation of the blanket bog, which in many parts of Kerry began accumulating several thousand years ago, meaning these stones were laid down when the ground was open and farmable, the climate somewhat drier, and people were actively dividing and working this landscape. The wall sits on the south side of a small tributary of the Inny river, a detail that suggests deliberate siting, perhaps marking a field edge or a boundary between different areas of use. When the bog eventually crept over such structures, it preserved them in a way that drier ground rarely does, sealing the evidence beneath layers of peat.

The visible section is unassuming enough that it would be easy to walk past without registering what it represents: a fragment of an organised, inhabited landscape that has been largely invisible for millennia, only partially returned to view where the boulders push through the surface of the bog.

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 Field boundary, An Chaisleach, 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