Enclosure, Baile An Lochaigh, Co. Kerry

Co. Kerry |

Enclosures

Enclosure, Baile An Lochaigh, Co. Kerry

On a relatively level, rock-free stretch of ground near the upper reaches of the Feohanagh river in County Kerry, two enclosures sit in close proximity, one positioned directly west of the other.

Enclosures of this kind, essentially defined areas bounded by earthen banks, ditches, or stone walls, are among the more quietly puzzling features of the Irish archaeological landscape. They can signal anything from early settlement and farming activity to ritual use, and their precise function is often difficult to determine without excavation. What draws attention here is the pairing: two distinct enclosures, side by side, on ground that appears to have been deliberately chosen for its evenness and accessibility.

The second of the two enclosures measures roughly two metres square, a notably modest footprint. It lies immediately west of its companion. Both sit within the Corca Dhuibhne region, the Irish-language heartland of the Dingle Peninsula, an area with an exceptionally dense concentration of archaeological monuments ranging from promontory forts and standing stones to early Christian sites. The site was recorded by J. Cuppage in the 1986 Dingle Peninsula Archaeological Survey, a foundational work for understanding the built heritage of this part of west Kerry, and the description places the enclosures approximately thirty metres west of the upper Feohanagh river.

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