Enclosure, Kilduff, Co. Kerry

Co. Kerry |

Enclosures

Enclosure, Kilduff, Co. Kerry

On the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map, a circular univallate enclosure, meaning a ringfort defined by a single bank and ditch, is clearly marked at Kilduff on the Dingle Peninsula.

On the ground today, that clarity has long since dissolved. A road now cuts straight through the site from east to west, bisecting whatever once stood here, and almost nothing of the original form survives in any recognisable shape.

The sole visible remnant is a low stony bank running roughly fourteen metres east to west, sitting about six metres north of the road. It rises only half a metre or so above the surrounding ground and measures about a metre across. At each end, the bank curves southward by a metre or two, which might suggest it preserves the edge of the original circular enclosure, though it is equally possible that this fragment belongs to a completely different, later feature. The uncertainty is genuine and unresolved. J. Cuppage documented the site in the 1986 Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey, by which point the enclosure had already been reduced to this ambiguous scrap of stonework. Ringforts of this kind were typically constructed during the early medieval period, roughly between the fifth and twelfth centuries, and served as enclosed farmsteads for a single family or small community. Whether the bank at Kilduff is a surviving arc of such a structure, or simply a field boundary of no great age, remains an open question.

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, Kilduff, 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