Sweathouse, Moneen, Co. Cavan
Co. Cavan |
Utility Structures
Before modern medicine made inroads into rural Ireland, people suffering from rheumatism, skin conditions, and various other ailments would sometimes seek relief in a sweathouse, a small stone structure heated from within by burning peat until the interior was intensely hot, then cleared of embers so that a person could crawl inside and sweat out whatever ailed them.
The one at Moneen, in County Cavan, is a particularly modest example of the type, a circular drystone building of beehive construction, meaning its walls corbel inward as they rise until they close to a point or shallow dome, with no mortar holding any of it together, only the careful placement of stone upon stone.
When Richardson recorded it in 1939, the structure stood to an external height of roughly 2.1 metres, though the roof had already collapsed and the entrance, a low crawl-through gap just 0.6 metres wide, was partially demolished. That narrow entrance was not incidental; keeping it small was part of the design, trapping heat inside and forcing anyone entering or leaving to crouch low, which also helped seal in the steam. The building appears on all Ordnance Survey editions, suggesting it was a known and noted feature of the landscape across successive surveys, even as its fabric deteriorated.
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