Field boundary, Tuar Sáilín, Co. Kerry

Co. Kerry |

Ritual/Ceremonial

Field boundary, Tuar Sáilín, Co. Kerry

On a south-facing slope of the Coomacarrea Ridge in County Kerry, a short stretch of stone walling curves quietly around the edge of a boulder-strewn hillside, about 140 metres above sea level.

It was not discovered through any deliberate archaeological investigation but turned up during monitoring of ground works for new forestry, the kind of routine oversight that occasionally surfaces something older and harder to place. Roughly 40 metres in length, the wall stands no higher than 0.75 metres and no wider than 0.8 metres, built in two or three loose courses of random field stones. What catches the eye, once you know to look, is that it is not quite straight. It bends to follow the natural contour of the slope, suggesting whoever laid it was working around the land rather than imposing a geometry upon it.

The wall is classified as a relic field boundary, meaning it predates the current arrangement of the landscape and no longer functions as an active division of land. In the surrounding area of rough grazing and bog, there is little to indicate when it was built or by whom. What the stones do preserve is a practical decision: someone once needed to mark or manage this particular piece of hillside, and they did so with whatever material the ground offered. About halfway along the wall's length, two transverse-set stones mark what appears to be an opening or entrance roughly 0.85 metres wide, wide enough for a person or perhaps livestock to pass through. That detail, small as it is, suggests the boundary was not merely decorative or territorial but part of a working agricultural system, one that has long since dissolved into the bog around it.

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 Field boundary, Tuar Sáilín, 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