Enclosure, Crossderry, Co. Kerry

Co. Kerry |

Enclosures

Enclosure, Crossderry, Co. Kerry

On a south-facing slope of boggy pasture beside the Curraghalia stream in County Kerry, a small enclosure sits in the ground almost apologetically.

It measures roughly six metres by five and a half, its walls rising only about forty centimetres from the surface and spreading perhaps seventy centimetres wide. By the standards of Irish field monuments, it is modest to the point of near-invisibility, the kind of structure that a farmer or walker might cross without a second thought.

What makes it quietly compelling is precisely that crudeness. An enclosure, in the archaeological sense, is simply a defined space bounded by an earthen or stone bank, and they turn up across Ireland in enormous variety, from elaborate ringforts associated with early medieval settlement to simple stock enclosures of uncertain date. This one, recorded on the Iveragh Peninsula in South Kerry, was described by archaeologists A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan in their 1996 survey of the peninsula as crudely built, which in archaeological language is not a dismissal but an observation. Rough construction often points to a functional, unceremoniousness purpose, perhaps temporary animal management or a field boundary that never needed to impress anyone. The boggy, sloping ground beside the stream would have been marginal land, useful but not prime, which itself hints at a practical rather than a domestic or ritual origin.

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 Enclosure, Crossderry, 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