Hut site, Hall Demesne, Co. Donegal

Co. Donegal |

Settlement Sites

Hut site, Hall Demesne, Co. Donegal

Near the foreshore east of Mountcharles in County Donegal, the erosion of sand dunes has revealed a fascinating glimpse into the past.

A circular stone structure, likely an ancient hut site, sits surrounded by six cairns on a sand spit that stretches between an estuary and Donegal Bay. These features were first observed in September 2010, exposed by a combination of cattle grazing and stream erosion from the nearby Warren Channel creek, covering an area of roughly 20 to 25 square metres.

The circular structure itself is quite substantial, built from drystone walls constructed of beach cobbles and small boulders. With walls measuring 1.5 to 1.7 metres thick and standing up to 0.85 metres above the sand, the structure has an internal diameter of 3.5 metres and an external diameter of 6.6 metres, though its eastern side remains hidden within the eroding dune face. The six surrounding cairns, numbered DG099-021001 through DG099-021006 for archaeological records, vary considerably in size from 1.6 to 4.65 metres across and share the same drystone cobble construction as the main structure.

Beyond these main features, the site holds additional mysteries. Two less distinct linear stone formations, each about 4 metres long and between 1.58 and 3.3 metres wide, can be found northwest towards Warren Channel. Further southeast, approximately 20 metres away, several upright stones and possible additional cairns emerge from the less eroded grassland, their exact purpose and significance yet to be determined. The entire complex offers a tantalising window into how people once lived and worked along this stretch of the Donegal coast, preserved beneath the dunes until nature chose to reveal them once more.

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Pete F
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