Hut site, An Coimín, Co. Kerry
Co. Kerry |
Settlement Sites
On the Bull's Head promontory, a broad headland pushing south-west into Dingle Bay, the ground along the central ridge holds the remains of at least fourteen ancient hut-sites.
They are easy to miss, being little more than low arcs of stone pressed into the landscape, but look closely and a small settlement of considerable variety begins to emerge. The structures range in plan from sub-rectangular through oval to circular, and their internal diameters vary between roughly two and six metres, suggesting they were not all built to the same purpose or perhaps not all built at the same time.
What makes the grouping particularly interesting is its construction logic. The builders worked with what the land offered: many of the hut-sites incorporate sections of naturally outcropping rock into their walls, so that the bedrock itself becomes part of the enclosure. The walls and stony banks that survive are low, worn down by time and weather, but enough remains to show that several of the structures are conjoined, sharing walls or abutting one another in the manner of a small, organically grown community rather than a planned settlement. The survey of the Dingle Peninsula carried out by J. Cuppage, published in 1986 under the title Corca Dhuibhne, documented the site and remains the principal source for what we know about it. Drystone construction, which uses no mortar and relies entirely on the careful stacking and interlocking of stone, was the dominant building technique across early Irish settlements, and the Corca Dhuibhne peninsula holds an exceptional concentration of such remains.
The hut-sites extend westward from field walls along both sides of the ridge and across its summit, so the overall spread is wider than any single approach might suggest. Walking the ridge in good light, when low sun throws shadows across the ground, is the most reliable way to read the outlines of the structures where they have become partially absorbed into the surrounding terrain.