Enclosure, Lehid, Co. Kerry
Co. Kerry |
Enclosures
On a north-east-facing slope above Gowlane Lake in south-west Kerry, a roughly triangular enclosure sits in rough pasture, its boundaries formed not by a single continuous wall but by three quite different structures meeting at irregular angles.
That combination, a collapsed drystone wall to the south-west, a relict field boundary to the east, and the outer south wall of a separate enclosure to the north, gives the site an improvised quality, as though the space was defined gradually and opportunistically rather than planned in a single act of construction.
The enclosure measures approximately 13.2 metres along its north-west to south-east axis and 12.5 metres east to west. The drystone wall that forms its south-western edge, built without mortar in the manner typical of Irish field architecture across many centuries, has largely collapsed downslope, and rubble is scattered around the perimeter. What remains visible are the large stones of the lower courses, protruding from the peaty soil where the upper courses have long since tumbled away. At the north-east corner, internally, a hut site abuts the enclosure wall, suggesting that whoever used this space also sheltered within it. A hut site in this context typically refers to the remains of a small stone-walled structure, often circular or sub-rectangular, associated with seasonal or agricultural activity rather than permanent habitation.
The landscape here is one of accumulated boundaries and overlapping land use, with relict field systems persisting as low earthworks and rubble lines across the hillside. The enclosure at Lehid is bound up with at least two other nearby features, the field boundary to its east and the enclosure whose outer wall forms its northern edge, suggesting a cluster of related structures that once organised this slope for grazing, tillage, or settlement. The view down to Gowlane Lake would have oriented daily life on this hillside in practical terms, providing a reliable water source within easy reach.